The IU Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has over 12,000 accessions of archaeological collections, totaling millions of individual items. These are made up of both excavated and donated collections, which piece together the material remains of cultures from the earliest occupations of North America through to modern times.
Some of our most significant archaeological collections explore the history of Indiana and have helpled shape the archaeological record. These include:
- Angel Mounds collections - artifacts and associated records that have long guided archaeological research on Mississippian culture
- Fort Ouiatenon collections - highlights the significance of this historical site through remains as diverse as the people who once created and consumed them
- Mann Site collections - diverse materials primarily belonging to the Middle woodland period with evidence of further occupation spanning from the Archaic to Historic periods
- Lilly collection - donated by Eli Lilly, an archaeological figurehead of Indiana, consists of nearly 7,500 incredible artifacts ranging in nature from stone tools to gorgets to whole pottery vessels
- Black collection - personal collections of Glenn A. Black, first professional archaeologist of Indiana; consists of over 2,000 objects and many linear feet of documentation.
We maintain an extensive teaching collection and several type collections for use by researchers.
