The collections of the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology number more than 800,000 objects of outstanding research and historical value. In addition there are over 100,000 field photographs and negatives in the Photographic Archive, and over 30,000 fonds of historical documentary archives.
The Museum's Anthropology section holds large and unparalleled Pacific collections (over 30,000 artefacts), including 18th-century material from Captain James Cook's voyages of exploration. There are particularly fine 19th- and 20th-century collections from Fiji, Vanuatu, New Guinea and the Torres Strait. The Museum also has major collections from Borneo, Malaysia, India, Uganda, West Africa, Amazon, Mexico, North American Plains and Northwest Coast, and the Canadian Arctic. There is also a unique collection of artefacts of British folklore.
Archaeology holds material from many famous sites, for example Olduvai, Le Moustier, Jericho, Haua Fteah, Kechipauan, Nea Nikomedeia, Star Carr and many Palaeolithic sites from around the world. The British material includes especially important Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Bronze Age, Roman, and Saxon collections.
Open Tuesday–Saturday, 10.30am–4.30pm. Admission is free.