Denver Museum of Nature & Science - Anthropology

09/05/2023

Collections staff Elizabeth Kriebel and Erika Heacock recently gave a presentation on the WS Ranch Archaeological Project as part of DMNS's ongoing Science Pop-Up Lecture Series. If you missed it, check out the recording at the link below!

Anthropology collections staff members Elizabeth Kriebel and Erika Heacock will be presenting on an ongoing project in the anthropology collections, the WS R...

06/02/2023

05/19/2023

A detailed segment that aired last night is available in the link.

The Denver Museum of Nature & Science is closing the North American Indian Cultures Hall after several decades in existence.

05/18/2023

EXHIBIT UPDATE:

Together with Indigenous community partners, the Denver Museum of Nature & Science has made the decision to respectfully close the North American Indian Cultures Hall, located on level 2. The Hall will close this summer.

We recognize that the Hall, which opened in the 1970s, perpetuated harmful stereotypes and centered the Museum and white, dominant culture. We also recognize the harm done and are committed to working with our partners to reimagine exhibition, curation, collecting, programming and conservation practices with respect to Indigenous cultural histories, heritage and belongings.

We are always proud to be , and we know that comes with responsibility. We are committed to doing the work to be a more inclusive and respectful Museum for all.

05/16/2023

✨🦬Toes🦬✨

04/26/2023

Conservators Megan Salas and Katy Kaspari with photographer Rick Wicker are taking multiple photographs of an object to compile using Reflectrance Transformation Imaging (RTI) into a dynamic image of the surface characteristics.

04/26/2023

Curious about what life was like excavating at the WS Ranch archaeological site? Thanks to the Archives at the Denver Museum of Nature & Science, we can find out! The Archives preserve documentation like field notes, artifact drawings, site maps, and, of course, photographs. These documents give us a window into how archaeology field methods have changed over time, as well as the people who did archaeology themselves. By learning about the people who assembled the WS Ranch collection, we can gain a deeper understanding of why the collection exists in its current form at DMNS today. Thank you to the Archives staff for their help with accessing and scanning these photographs!

Image credits:
Person taking photographs: WSR030, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Person drawing in wheelbarrow: WSR075, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
People excavating with cars in background: WSR137, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
People screenwashing: WSR469, Denver Museum of Nature & Science
People excavating: WSR217, Denver Museum of Nature & Science

04/24/2023

Great photos of Anthropology staff working with teens at the museum!

04/21/2023

A great article on the Pañamarca project led by Lic. Jessica Ortiz Zevallos, Dr. Lisa Trevers, and Dr. Michele Koons. These murals are by the Moche peoples in Peru's northern coast and are 1400 years old!

The new finds are shedding light on the Moche people, who lived on Peru's northern coast

04/13/2023

In his latest SAPIENS article, Dr. Steve Nash describes how Ancestral Puebloans built Great Houses with more than 200,000 massive log beams in a nearly treeless desert. Where did this wood originate—and how did Ancestral Puebloans move such massive timbers?

Chaco Canyon Great Houses have timber of more than 200,000 massive log beams. Where Ancestral Puebloans got the wood is no longer a mystery.

04/07/2023

Natalie and Amy spent some time in the DMNS Paleo Lab to conserve a sample of the jacketed bison skulls from the Jones-Miller site! Through this work, they will be able to remove the skull fragments from the field jackets and create custom archival mounts for long-term housing.

04/03/2023

We are excited to share about Dr. Michele Koons's 2022 fieldwork on Peru's north coast! Check out more at https://www.panamarca.org/