Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

Find us on Facebook, Instagram, Threads and Bluesky @MAACambridge. Visit our website: maa.cam.ac.uk. Explore our collections: collections.maa.cam.ac.uk. Read our blog: maadigitallab.org/blog/

Video description: A hyper-lapse of a conservator using a vacuum cleaner and brush to clean two canoes on open display in the museum gallery. Captions explain the importance of using the correct tools. End card: "MAA Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology" the museum’s logo

By using a very soft brush and a low-suction vacuum cleaner, Steph, the @CamUnivMuseums’ Conservator of Objects, ensures she doesn’t cause further damage to objects on open display at @MAACambridge whilst cleaning them. #CollectionsCare

More than 2,500 Māori served overseas during WWI and over 16,000 in WWII. This arch commemorates Māori soldiers who fell during both conflicts. #RemembranceSunday 📸T.111179.GTN War Memorial, Aotearoa (New Zealand). Photographer: J. Merensky, c.1960s 🔗collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/photographs/40…

You’ve only got until Sunday (10 November) to visit Cambridge University Mexican Society’s beautiful Día de los Muertos (the Day of the Dead) at @maacambridge, so if you’re in Cambridge make sure you drop by to see this free display! #DayOfTheDead #DiaDeLosMuertos

📸 Image credit: Cambridge University Mexican Society.

Each year, the Cambridge University Mexican Society creates an altar at @MAACambridge to celebrate #DíaDeLosMuertos (#DayOfTheDead). In our latest blog post we speak to the Society's members to learn about this festival’s significance for Mexicans: maadigitallab.org/blog/2024/11/0…

Video description: A hyper-lapse of a conservator using a low-suction vacuum cleaner and brush to clean objects on open display in the museum gallery. Captions on screen explain the importance of dusting. End card: "MAA Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology" and the museum logo.

We’re once again joining @camunivmuseums Conservator Stephanie as she continues her deep clean of the objects on open display at @MAACambridge. Dust can attract moisture, which can damage and corrode an object’s surface.

Video description: Hyper-lapse of a pallet of boxes being wheeled through the old off-site store and loaded onto a van, plus 40 quickly flashing images of objects from the Arctic archaeology collection. End card: "MAA Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology" and the museum logo

Have you ever wondered just what’s inside the boxes we move on pallets? Well, this month you’re in luck as our Stores Move team processes the Arctic collection, we’re taking a quick look at some of the 5,130 objects in these boxes! #StoresMoveMonday

Conservators are a bit like doctors for museum objects, but why is their sense of smell an important tool and what is the most difficult material to work with? Join us for #AskAConservatorDay to find out: youtu.be/B8wbjRsj6V4

@QMUL Dr. Ayesha Fuentes, objects conservator and postdoc @MAACambridge, specializes in Asian material religion. With a PhD from @SOAS, she’s now exploring the use and transformation of fabric-printed texts in Himalayan Buddhist traditions as part of the HiPS project. #MaterialCulture

Join @MAACambridge to celebrate Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)! Enjoy free drop-in family craft activities, including tissue paper flowers & colouring, & see the altar & gallery brilliantly decorated by the Cambridge University Mexican Society. 🗓️ 31 Oct - 2 Nov, 10am-4pm

Video description: A three-tier Day of the Dead altar within a museum gallery. It's brightly decorated with offerings, including food, drink, candles, skulls, and photos of the departed. End card reads "MAA Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology" and features the museum’s logo.

#DíaDeLosMuertos (Day of the Dead) has once again arrived at @MAACambridge! A massive thank you to the University of Cambridge Mexican Society for their hard work decorating the gallery, particularly the vibrant altar commemorating poet Octavio Paz. [1/2]

Join our #DayOfTheDead celebrations on 31 October, 1 and 2 November, 10am-4pm, where we’ll be running free drop-in craft activities: maa.cam.ac.uk/dia-de-los-mue… [2/2]

@Beathas_Ailsa @CamUnivMuseums It's an incredibly striking object! 🤩

@MAACambridge @CamUnivMuseums I wrote my MA dissertation on the canoe prow, so nice to see it again 😍

Whilst most objects on display at @MAACambridge are in cases, many are on open display. This puts them at a higher risk to damage due to dust - which attracts moisture and pests. Luckily @CamUnivMuseums Conservator Stephanie is on hand to carry out a deep clean! #CollectionsCare

Video description: A hyper-lapse of a conservator cleaning sculptures on open display in the museum gallery. Captions explain what the conservator is doing. End card reads: "MAA Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology" and features the museum’s logo.