Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology facts for kids
|
|
| Established | 1901 |
|---|---|
| Location | Andover, Massachusetts |
| Type | Archaeological museum |
| Collections | Artifacts and materials from various Indigenous cultures of the Americas |
| Founder | Robert Singleton Peabody |
The Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology is a special place in Andover, Massachusetts. It's a learning center and a huge collection of ancient objects. It used to be called the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology.
This institute started in 1901 thanks to Robert Singleton Peabody. He was a graduate of Phillips Academy in 1857. Peabody loved archaeology and wanted to share his collection of Native American artifacts. He hoped to get young people excited about science. He also wanted to help everyone appreciate Native American peoples. These groups have lived in the Americas for thousands of years.
The Peabody's main collections include items from many areas. These are the Southwest, Northeast, Midwest, Mexico, Southeast, and the Arctic. The objects show history from over 10,000 years ago to today.
Contents
History of the Institute
The Robert S. Peabody Institute has been a key place for archaeology since 1901. It has been used for fieldwork, research, and publishing discoveries. Robert S. Peabody, a Phillips Academy graduate, created the museum. It was a home for his collection of about 38,000 artifacts. It was also a place for students to learn about archaeology.
Early Discoveries and Research
The museum has had several names over the years. These include the Department of Archaeology and the Robert S. Peabody Museum. Its first director was Charles Peabody, Robert's son. He started the museum's focus on research. In 1901, he led digs at Dorr Mound in Mississippi. He also worked at Jacobs Cavern in Missouri in 1903. His team used early grid systems for digging. They found some of the first clear proof of humans living with ancient animals. His 1904 report on Jacob's Cavern began the museum's long history of research.
Warren K. Moorehead became a curator in 1901 and director in 1924. He led fieldwork all over North America. From 1907 to 1938, he explored areas like the Arkansas River Valley. He also worked in Northwest Georgia and coastal Maine. His work at places like Etowah Indian Mounds, Hopewell, and the Cahokia Mounds added many objects. These sites provided valuable early collections. Moorehead was also appointed to the Board of Indian Commissioners in 1909. He helped investigate land fraud at the White Earth Indian Reservation. This work helped return land to the Annishinabe people. The museum keeps photos and gifts from this important work.
Exploring the Southwest and New Methods
Between 1915 and 1929, A. V. Kidder dug at sites in New Mexico. His work in the Pecos Valley helped create the first timeline for Southwest archaeology. He worked with Carl E. Guthe and Anna O. Shepard. Inspired by Pecos, Carl Guthe and Elsie Clews Parsons studied modern Native American groups. They used this knowledge to understand ancient sites better. This was a new way to interpret archaeology. These digs found over 25,000 artifacts.
Earnest Hooton from Harvard's Peabody Museum studied human remains from Pecos. This was the first study of ancient populations over time. In 1927, Kidder held the first Pecos conference. This meeting, sponsored by Peabody, started regional archaeology conferences.
New England and Scientific Advances
The third director, Douglas S. Byers, and curator Fred Johnson led research from 1938 to 1968. They improved how artifacts were stored and displayed. They also focused on finding the history of layers in New England soil. Johnson was a pioneer in using different sciences to understand archaeology. He applied this to the Boylston Street Fishweir in 1939.
During the 1950s and 60s, they dug at Paleoindian sites like Bull Brook. They used geology to understand these ancient places. They also worked in the Yukon and Mexico. These digs, plus private collections, added another 200,000 objects.
The Peabody hosted the first meeting of the Society for American Archaeology in 1935. It also started the Massachusetts Archaeological Society five years later. In the 1950s, Fred Johnson helped connect archaeologists with Willard F. Libby. This led to the development of Carbon 14 dating for archaeological sites. The Peabody hosted conferences on radiocarbon dating in 1954 and 1956.
Discovering Agriculture's Origins
In 1968, Richard MacNeish became director. His major digs in Mexico, Peru, and Belize explored how farming began. MacNeish found early corn and ancient sequences in Mexico. These discoveries gave important clues about how plants and animals were tamed. They also showed how people started living in one place in the New World. His work is seen as one of the most important studies in 20th-century archaeology. He received many awards for his contributions. The museum keeps his collections, notes, and papers.
Rebuilding and Modern Focus
After MacNeish left in 1983, the museum was quiet for a while. James W. Bradley arrived in 1990 and brought it back to life. He renamed it the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology. He made sure the museum's resources were used widely at Phillips Academy. He also started successful learning programs.
Bradley focused on managing the collections and building relationships. He worked with Native communities, amateur archaeologists, and educators. His work helped the museum become important again. He also created a national model for working with tribes on NAGPRA compliance.
In November 2017, the museum changed its name again. It became the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology. This name better shows its mission as a teaching and research center.
The Peabody Today
Today, Dr. Ryan Wheeler is the director. The Peabody continues to be a teaching museum. It is an important learning resource for Phillips Academy and its community.
Collections at the Institute
The Robert S. Peabody Institute cares for many items. These include artifacts, old papers, books, and images. They all relate to Indigenous cultures of the Americas, both past and present. These materials show a century of archaeological research. Much of this research was very advanced for its time. The collections also show the different interests of the Peabody's directors and curators. The museum also has a small collection of European Paleolithic items.
The Peabody's artifact collections are in three groups:
- Research collections: These are very important for professional scholars.
- Education collections: Used for teaching and learning.
- Comparative collections: Used to compare different objects.
The museum's archives, library, and image collections support the artifact collections. They are a resource for Phillips Academy, archaeologists, Native communities, and the public.
Who Uses the Collections?
The main users of the Peabody collections are:
- Phillips Academy students and teachers. They visit for classes, tours, and projects.
- Archaeologists, scholars, and other museums. They use the collections for research and loans.
- Native communities. They use the collections for research and repatriation requests. This is mainly linked to the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.
- Members of the Massachusetts Archaeological Society and the public. They attend lectures, exhibits, and programs.
Understanding NAGPRA
The Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA) became law in 1990. This law helps museums and federal agencies return certain items. These include human remains, burial objects, sacred objects, and cultural items. They are returned to their Native American communities. The Peabody Museum fully follows the NAGPRA law for all related materials.
In 1999, the Peabody took part in a very large repatriation. They worked with the Peabody Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology at Harvard University. They also worked with the Pecos National Historic Park. Together, they returned about 2,000 sets of human remains. They also returned 1,020 burial and ceremonial objects. These went to the Pueblo of Jemez. Most of the human remains were at Harvard. The Peabody returned most of the artifacts. These items came from sites in the Pecos Valley, like Pecos Pueblo. A.V. Kidder had dug up these items from 1915 to 1929. This Pecos repatriation is the largest single one in NAGPRA history. It has created a lasting relationship between the Pueblo of Jemez and the Robert S. Peabody Museum.
