Stanford University Archaeology Collections

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Stanford University Archaeology Collections

SUAC: Connections through Collections Interested in researching our collections or getting involved with outreach projects? Get in touch!

The Stanford University Archaeology Collections (SUAC) connects the campus and broader community with a large collection of archaeological and ethnographic artifacts collected by the University since its founding in 1891. Many of these items were once held in the Stanford Museum, which was founded to house historical and cultural material collected by the Stanford family. SUAC also cares for many

systematically excavated field collections from Stanford lands and the wider Bay Area, which chronicle diverse people's lives from several thousand years ago to the 20th century. SUAC has an educational mission and presents content here for educational and informational purposes only. Downloading for commercial purposes is prohibited. Certain materials and works of art presented on this page may be protected by copyright and/or may be subject to other third party rights or restrictions, including trademarks and the rights of privacy and publicity. SUAC disclaims any warranties about its rights in such materials and works.

05/08/2026

Did you catch us on last week? stopped by SUAC to see some archaeological finds from the Point Alones Chinese Fishing Village. Campus Archaeologist Dr. Laura Jones and SUAC Curator of Collections Veronica Jacobs-Edmondson had a great time speaking with Sharon and fellow descendent Shelly Gin about the site and showing off some artifacts from the digs!

Check out the story here: https://www.cbsnews.com/sanfrancisco/news/point-alones-chinese-fishing-village-artifacts-monterey-bay/

03/11/2026

Hi! I’m Yasmine Toubassy, a sophomore curatorial intern in SUAC’s intern program! I’m studying Classics and Psychology and hope to enter the museum world when I graduate from Stanford.

At SUAC, I am currently studying how different cultures in the Micronesian region treat shells (seashells, turtle shells, coconut shells) in cultural, hierarchical, and monetary power systems. I have been investigating different shell artifacts from SUAC’s collections (woven shell belt, shell arm band, coconut shell ashtray) and studying the raw natural materials they came from, being sold in their unaltered form (whole turtle shell, whole strawberry cowrie shell)

The second photo is my observation notes of one of my favorite pieces from my exhibit: a preserved, polished, antique turtle shell. Having the shell right in front of me while I was taking these notes was so amazing because I could see the shell from all angles, could pick up and feel the shell, and inspect for details. The shell was donated in the 1950s by the Umhoefers, a couple that collected extensively in Yap and other Micronesian islands after World War II.

The third photo is a wonderful but also confounding heart shaped pendant in my exhibit that has interesting cultural and colonial implications. The pendant is made of Hawksbill turtle shell and is from the Micronesian island of Yap. It seems to have been made for the tourist market as, in my research, I was able to find no other pieces like it with cultural significance to Yap. The very intriguing part of the pendant is the 1938 Papua New Guinea coin in the center of it. Would tourists of Yap be interested in coins from Papua New Guinea? Was the necklace made in Yap at all? If not, how did it get there in the first place?

The fourth photo is a monkey shaped ashtray made from a coconut that is both adorable looking and represents multiculturalism in the Micronesian Islands due to the Japanese and German occupations in the early/mid 20th century.

03/10/2026

Hi! My name is Kate Stewart (she/her), and I am a collections management intern here at SUAC again this quarter. This quarter, I have continued caring for the collections by rehousing objects, creating display mounts, and doing minor object cleaning and vacuuming.

In photos 1, 2, and 3, I am working on a rehousing project. As a collections management intern, it is my job to make sure the objects are safe while in storage. I make archival-quality boxes and supports for the objects so they will be stable and secure while in the storage stacks and the classroom.

In photo 4, almost all of this quarter's interns are shown! One of my favorite parts of working at SUAC is being surrounded by the other interns and getting to learn from them. Working in a museum setting requires all departments to collaborate so much. This quarter, I have worked closely with the curatorial interns to create mounts for the objects they want to display for their exhibitions. Meanwhile, I have learned so much about the objects from their research. Getting to see everyone’s projects come together is always so exciting, and helping each other creates such a strong community.

03/09/2026

Hi there! I’m MyKayla Williamson (she/her), and I am PhD student in Anthropology focusing on Archaeology, as well as currently a provenance research intern at SUAC.

My current research focuses on a wooden headrest (Object ID 93.1226) that was re-numbered in 1993 and disassociated from its original records. Because its original object ID is unknown, its original provenance remains unknown as well. It is broadly catalogued as African and dated between 1850 and 1950.

Based on comparative and formal analysis, I argue that the piece can be attributed to southern Africa, and more specifically to the Tsonga people. The incised surface markings closely parallel Tsonga scarification practices. As Terence Turner (1980) argues, the body is a stage upon which meanings are inscribed through dress and adornment, allowing it to function as a social being.
Art historian Anitra Nettleton, drawing on Becker (1992), writes in African Dream Machines (2007:358) that the headrest is not unlike the Akan seat and may come to stand in for its owner’s body. She further notes that the scarred body signals endurance and social inscription, reinforcing her interpretation of headrests as substitute bodies (2007:364).

03/05/2026

SUAC will be hosting an Open House and Intern Showcase on Thursday, March 12 from 12:30pm - 1:30pm! Come check out what our interns have been working on this quarter and view the two newest student-curated exhibits in the SUAC classroom!

This event is open to all!

03/04/2026

Hi! I’m Tessa Sanders, a sophomore double-majoring in MS&E and Art History and a Collections Management Intern at the Stanford University Archaeology Collections. This quarter, much of my work has centered on our collections database, which is essential to maintaining a collection of over 100,000 objects. Each object’s location, description, and condition record lives in this system. By verifying box locations, refining records, adding descriptions, and organizing condition photographs, I help ensure our digital data matches what is physically on the shelves. A reliable database allows researchers, students, and staff to locate and care for objects efficiently.

I also work hands-on with the collection. In the first photo, I am verifying box locations. In the second, I am adding foam supports to storage bags holding ancient hand axes.
The third shows two ceramics in a new protective box.

03/03/2026

Hi! I'm Kiara Fufunan (she/her), and I am an M.S. student in Earth Systems.

This is my second quarter as an Archival Intern at SUAC! Along with continuing to organize archival material from the Philippines. I'm excited to start my next project, where I will be digitizing accession files (x-files) from the Southwestern U.S.

In Image 2, I am examining a series of 9 photographs taken by Mary Denison Wilt Thomas in 1900-1905, during her husband Jerome B. Thomas' service as a U.S. Army surgeon. The photographs depict several different Indigenous groups from Northern Luzon and Mindanao, namely the Moro, Kalinga, Ifugao, Itneg, and Bontoc peoples. In Image 4, I am looking at an illustration that depicts the structure and layout of traditional Bontoc and Kalinga houses.

02/19/2026

Hi everyone! My name is Audrey (she/her), and I am a freshman at Stanford. I am currently serving as a Provenance Research Intern at SUAC, and the work has been fascinating!

Most recently, I researched the Fijian wooden “fork” (Object ID: 16358) that Dr. Felix Keesing gave to Stanford. This object allowed high-ranking individuals to eat during sacred rituals without touching the consecrated food with their hands. I chose to study this object because I am particularly interested in foodways–what I see as the intersection between food, culture, and history.

This object is complex, since Western anthropologists described it as a “cannibal fork” for consuming human flesh. My research complicates this claim, since anthropologists may have misinterpreted the scale and content of Fijian practices. Additionally, the sale of tourist reproductions of so-called “cannibal forks” in Hawaiʻi reflects issues with colonization, including the sensationalization of sacred cultural practices and the treatment of Pacific Islands as a single, homogeneous entity.

Ultimately, I have learned so much from interning at SUAC, and I often find myself bringing the same museum skills and curiosity into my daily life as I meet new people and learn about new cultures at Stanford!

02/17/2026

Happy Lunar New Year! 🐴 We’re galloping into the new year by highlighting this zoomorphic betel cutter from the Collection (Object ID 2024.2.14).

Betel cutters are used to slice the areca nut, a key ingredient in the betel quid, a mild stimulant that is a cornerstone of hospitality and social ritual across South and Southeast Asia.

More than utilitarian, ornate cutters like this are also status symbols. The choice of a horse is particularly poignant for the Lunar New Year, as it represents strength, endurance, and swift success.

Wishing you a new year filled with energy and achievement!

02/12/2026

Hi! I’m Avery Pigott (she/her), and this quarter I am a provenance research intern at SUAC. As a sophomore studying International Relations and Art History, I’ve enjoyed applying my background in Greek history and culture to researching the Emerson H. Swift Collection.

My work as a provenance intern involves using archival materials, journals, and databases to trace how Swift assembled such an extensive collection of Greek artifacts and how these objects eventually came toSUAC. The majority of his pieces—primarily fragments of ancient Greek vases—date to his time excavating through the American School in Athens from 1912 to 1915. In slide four, Emerson Swift (left) appears alongside his peer Carl W. Blegen (right) in front of the façade of Peirene at Corinth in 1913.

In images one and two, I’m handling vase sherds Swift collected from these sites and later donated to Stanford in the 1970s. Using Swift’s journal entries and stylistic analysis, I work to identify their regional origins and approximate dates. Several of Swift’s larger artifacts are currently on display at , which I highly recommend checking out!

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