Archaeological and Ethnological Labs are in the Basement of the Old Main building (OM B12 & B14). The Anthropology Program maintains a valuable collections of artifacts with storage, lab, and display space as well
as a seminar room. Many of the archaeological artifacts in our collection have come to us through the work of students in the Marshall University Archaeological Field School.
The Marshall University Ethnographic Collection includes more than 450 objects from all over the world, from the barren tundra of the Arctic Circle to the hot sands of the Kalahari desert of southern Africa, from the coral atolls of the Pacific to the rainforests of the Amazon. The artifacts include everything from toys to weapons, from ritual and sacred pieces to items of daily wear.
Much of the collection dates from 1997 when the Sunrise Museum, in Charleston, West Virginia, offered Marshall University a portion of its ethnographic inventory, prior to its move into the Clay Center for the Arts and Sciences. More artifacts have been added by private donors since.
Humans are manufacturers, in part what defines our species. The things we make are tools for survival, weapons for protection, toys to entertain and teach our young, ritual objects to communicate with supernatural forces, material signs to reflect our social status in the community, and numerous other items just for personal display, pride in the craftsmanship and beauty.
From time to time, students work together with faculty to produce educational, public exhibitions of the collection such as the widely acclaimed One Room, One World exhibit.