Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, University of Cambridge Facts for Kids

This page is about an archaeological museum in the United Kingdom. For the museum in Massachusetts, see Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology.

Quick facts for kids
Museum of Archeology and Anthropology
University of Cambridge Museums
Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, Cambridge
Location	Cambridge
Type	University Museum
Collections	local antiquities, together with archaeological and ethnographic artefacts from around the world
Visitors	76,669 (2019)
Owner	University of Cambridge
Fitzwilliam Museum Kettle's Yard Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Museum of Classical Archaeology Whipple Museum of the History of Science Sedgwick Museum of Earth Sciences The Polar Museum Museum of Zoology

The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, also known as MAA, is a cool museum at the University of Cambridge. It has amazing collections of old things found nearby. It also displays ancient tools and cultural items from all over the world.

The museum is located on the university's Downing Site in Cambridge. You can find it at the corner of Downing Street and Tennis Court Road. In 2013, the museum reopened after a big makeover. It now has a new public entrance right on Downing Street. The MAA is part of the University of Cambridge Museums group.

Museum History
What You Can See: Museum Displays
The Gweagal Spears
Gallery
See also

Museum History

The museum first opened in 1884. It was called the Museum of General and Local Archaeology back then. Its first collections included old items found by the Cambridge Antiquarian Society. It also had items from Polynesia given by Alfred Maudslay and Sir Arthur Gordon.

The museum's first curator, Anatole von Hügel, gave his own collection. These were items from the South Pacific. More objects were collected during a trip to the Torres Strait in 1898. This trip was led by Alfred Haddon and W. H. R. Rivers. Haddon and Rivers encouraged their students to keep collecting for the museum. These students included Alfred Radcliffe-Brown, John Layard, and Gregory Bateson. They gathered items during their studies of different cultures.

Von Hügel worked to move the museum to a bigger, specially built place. In 1913, the museum moved to its current spot on Downing Street. However, the new display areas were not fully ready until after World War I. During the 1910s and 1920s, many old collections were given to the museum. This included items gathered during James Cook's three famous voyages.

The MAA closed for a long time for big improvements. It reopened in 2013. The ground floor was completely redone. It also got a new space for special temporary exhibits. Plus, there were new galleries for archaeology.

Many important people have led the museum over the years. These include Louis Colville Gray Clarke, Thomas Paterson, Geoffrey Bushnell, and Peter Gathercole. From 1981 to 2006, Prof. David Phillipson was the director. Since 2006, Prof. Nicholas Thomas has been the director.

Today, the museum works with the British Museum on a special project. They are studying old audio recordings used in anthropology. They also connect related collections of objects, photos, and field notes.

What You Can See: Museum Displays

The museum has its amazing collections spread across three floors.

Ground floor: This floor has the Clarke Hall. Here you can see archaeological finds from Cambridge. It also has the Li Ka Shing Gallery for special temporary exhibits.
First floor: This is the Maudslay Hall. It focuses on anthropology, which is the study of human societies and cultures.
Second floor: This floor is the Andrews Gallery. It shows archaeological items from all over the world.

The museum building itself is quite old and special. It is a Grade II listed building. This means it is historically important. Inside, you can even see a part of a choir screen from Winchester Cathedral. This screen was designed by a famous architect named Inigo Jones.

On the ground floor, there is a display about the Anglo-Saxon Trumpington bed burial. This is a very interesting ancient burial site.

The Gweagal Spears

A Gweagal spear on display at the museum

In 1770, Captain James Cook and botanist Joseph Banks returned to England. They had been on a long journey in the South Pacific Ocean. They brought back many plants and animals. They also brought back many cultural artefacts. Among these were about fifty Australian Aboriginal spears. These spears belonged to the Gweagal people.

The spears were given to Cook's supporter, John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich. He then gave them to his old college, Trinity College. Four of these spears still exist today. These spears are very important. They are some of the few items left that can be traced back to Cook's first voyage. The Gweagal Spears are still owned by Trinity College. However, you can see them on display at the Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.