Archaeological and ethnographic items in our collections support the study of humans through material remains, to foster understanding of culture and history.
Our collections are home to more than 6,000 archaeological and ethnographic objects, from Archaic period lithics to Meskwaki beadwork, Puebloan ceramics, and historic objects from other cultures around the world. Significant archaeological research collections are also held by our colleagues at the Iowa Office of the State Archaeologist.
