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Anthropology

  • ️@NMNH
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Anthropology is the study of humans and their societies in the past and present.

Research in the Department of Anthropology spans from the emergence of our earliest ancestors to the ways communities sustain their cultures in today’s globalized societies.

The collections of the Department of Anthropology are a vast and unparalleled resource for inquiry into the cultures, arts, and technologies of the world's peoples, from deep in prehistory to the present day.

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Our Experts

Our curators include experts in a wide variety of anthropological topics, from human evolution to cell phones.

Joshua A. Bell: Curator of Globalization

Joshua A. Bell

William Fitzhugh: Senior Scientist, Curator of North American Archaeology and Director, Arctic Studies Center

William Fitzhugh

Gwyneira Isaac: Curator of North American Indigenous Culture

Gwyneira Isaac

Logan Kistler: Curator of Archaeobotany and Archaeogenomics

Logan Kistler

Igor Krupnik: Curator of Circumpolar Ethnology

Igor Krupnik

Douglas Owsley: Curator of Biological Anthropology

Douglas Owsley

Richard Potts: Curator of Biological Anthropology, Peter Buck Chair of Human Origins Director

Richard Potts

Torben Rick: Curator of North American Archaeology

Torben Rick

Sabrina Sholts: Curator of Biological Anthropology

Sabrina Sholts

Paul Michael Taylor: Curator of European, Middle Eastern, and Asian Ethnology

Paul Michael Taylor