Archaeological holdings have been excavated or surface collected from sites by professional and amateur archaeologists. MNA's Archaeology holdings complement our Ethnology collection of historic Native American objects, and from a tribal perspective these two collections represent an unbroken continuum through time. 

MNA’s Archaeology collection contains artifacts from all over the Colorado Plateau and is particularly strong in holdings from northern Arizona. Most of the collection is the result of systematic research and cultural resource management projects undertaken by MNA over the nearly 100 year history of the institution.

Types of materials in this collection include:

• Ceramics – whole and partial vessels and sherds

• Lithics – chipped stone and groundstone tools

• Utilized vegetal remains – such as sandals and cordage

• Utilized bone tools – such as awls and needles

• Bulk samples, also known as ecofacts – such as flotation and pollen samples

• Ethnobotanical material

Learn more about our Archaeology collection.

Scroll to browse archaeological objects or enter terms and click Search to find results within this collection.