Archeology Collection

NEW! Explore the Museum’s collections online

The Museum houses a significant collection of Arkansas archeological materials.

This includes 7000 cataloged Native American whole pottery vessels, especially from the late prehistoric and protohistoric period. These vessels represent the artistry and creativity of the prehistoric potters and the daily tasks, activities, lifestyles, and worldview of the potters and their contemporaries.

Another strength of the collection includes Ozark bluff shelter materials. The special dry microclimates of shelters located along the river bluff lines preserved many objects from the material culture of the mountains’ native inhabitants not typically preserved, such as botanical samples like seeds.

While Arkansas is our main regional focus, a small collection of pottery from other areas and cultures of the world is housed here as well, including Greco-Roman, Nazca, and Mimbres.

Research Publications

Providing researchers access to the collections has long been an important responsibility for Museum staff. For transparency of collection usage and to give back knowledge accumulated over years, especially in relation to indigneous cultural materials, we have compiled a list of publications produced as a result of research conducted at the Museum. View it here. For organization purposes, the list is divided between two tabs located at the bottom – Cultural and Natural.

While we strive to collect publications from all researchers who have utilized the collections, this list is not complete and will continue to grow over time. If you know of additional publications that should be added or have questions about the list, please contact us.