Collections
The department works closely with the University of Alberta Museums to maintain collections related to the study of humans.
Bryan/Gruhn Archaeology Collection
The Bryan/Gruhn Archaeological Collection features lithic and ceramic artifacts obtained in the course of extensive travels through Latin America by this husband-and-wife team of archaeologists since 1969. Also prominent in the Department's archaeological collections are casts of significant North American projectile points, and Paleolithic artifacts of western Europe. Contact the ArchaeologyTechnologist for more information
Bryan/Gruhn Ethnographic Collection
The Bryan/Gruhn Ethnographic Collection consists of indigenous clothing and other artifacts from Latin America, North America, and Africa. Prominent collections feature clothing and textiles from Mexico and Guatemala, and weapons and utensils from tropical Colombia. There are also extensive collections of material culture from the Arctic and Sub-Arctic areas of Canada, and material from southern Africa. Contact the Faculty Service Officer for more information
Fossil Hominid Cast Collection
The best of its kind in Canada, the Fossil Hominid Cast Collection contains extensive replicas of paleoanthropological fossils that preserve and capture the lives of all members of the order Primates. Fossil casts represent primates from the Paleocene through to the Holocene and emphasize the ancestral line to humans. Contact the Faculty Service Officer for more information.
Osteology Collection
The Osteology Collection is a teaching and interpretive resource, containing more than 10,000 modern human skeletal specimens.. Numerous pathological conditions and genetic anomalies are represented, which are of use to researchers studying the effects of nutrition, disease and genetics on ancient and modern populations. Contact the Faculty Service Officer for more information
Paleoenvironmental
Contact the Laboratory Supervisor for more information
Zooarchaeology Reference Collection
The Zooarchaeology Reference Collection is a comprehensive selection of animal skeletal specimens from Alberta and the Arctic, with a small number of mollusc specimens. One of the best of its kind in Canada, the collection is used to compare and identify fragmentary faunal remains found during archaeological excavations.Contact the Curator for more information Dr. Robert Losey