England
Cambridgeshire

Cambridge University Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

The museum is a part of the Faculty of Archaeology and Anthropology at the University. It is housed in a 3 story house in the centre of Cambridge, and contains collections from around the world. The ground floor gallery features world prehistory and local archaeology, the first floor houses the social anthropology collection, while the second floor is given over to special exhibitions reflecting the interests of the Faculty. The museum collections total over 750,000 artifacts of historic and anthropological interest, including over 70,000 photographs. The collections are especially strong in the areas of Oriental and African studies, visual arts, and classics.

Anthropology
The collection holds over 30,000 artifacts from the Pacific region, including some gathered by Captain Cook on his first and third voyages.

Archaeology
The basis of the collection is artifacts from influential world sites such as Olduvai Gorge, Le Moustier,and Jericho. The British collections are especially strong on Paleolithic remains from East Anglia, as well as the Mesolithic (e.g. Star Carr), Bronze Age, Roman, and Saxon periods.

Though the museum welcomes researchers, its limited space and high demand means that visiting scholars should contact the museum administration at least one month ahead of a proposed visit. Researchers cannot be accommodated during August and September.

Casual visitors are welcome without prior notice at regular opening hours.

Address
Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
Downing Street
Cambridge
Cambridgeshire
Tel: 01223 333516.
Fax: 01223 333503.
E-mail: dwp100@cus.cam.ac.uk

Cambridgeshire links

Text © David Ross and Britain Express 2001