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3D Scanning Project

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In 2007 the Corpus of Maya Hieroglyphic Inscriptions (CMHI) research program at the Peabody Museum launched a 3D scanning project to document endangered ancient Maya monuments, in collaboration with several governments and institutions for the purposes of...

Video: From Conquest to Colony: The Early Colonial Period in Peru

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Peru’s early colonial history is generally viewed from the perspective of the Europeans who invaded the region and documented their conquests. Recent archaeological studies, however, are revealing new insights into the experiences of Indigenous and other...

Video: Tales of the Moche Kings and Queens: Elite Burials from the North Coast of Peru

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2017 marks the thirtieth anniversary of the discovery of the Lord of Sipán, one of the most spectacular gold tombs found in the Americas and the first of many elite tombs found in northern Peru. The remains of these burial sites provide a treasure trove...

Video: Cracking Bones, Gnawing Flesh, and Pondering Hearts: Body, Mind, and Medicine in Ancient Mesopotamia

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The human body has not changed significantly during recorded history—we share sensory faculties, metabolism, sexuality, aging, and mortality with even our distant ancestors. Concepts of body and self, on the other hand, evolve as cultural and historical...

Video: Destroying Images: Current Iconoclasm in Context

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The destruction of iconic images and monuments—iconoclasm—carried out today by extremists representing a wide range of political and religious views, makes many recoil in horror. This response, however, is in part derived from the fact that our Western...

Video: Self-Domestication in Bonobos and Other Wild Animals

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Domesticated animals such as dogs, pigs, and horses often sport floppy ears, patches of white hair, and other features that are unknown in their wild ancestors. These traits—collectively referred to by scientists as a “domestication syndrome”—are the...

Video: Teeth and Human Evolution

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Modern humans and our closest-living ape relatives differ in developmental and reproductive biology, as well as in lifespans, but evolutionary anthropologists do not know when these distinctive characteristics evolved. It might seem that our development...

Video: The American Land Museum: Places as Cultural Artifacts

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The Center for Land Use Interpretation explores how land in the United States is apportioned, utilized, and perceived. Through exhibitions and public programs, the Center interprets built landscapes—from landfills and urban waterfalls to artificial lakes...

Descendant Community Projects

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The Maya Corpus Program is delighted to collaborate with descendant communities researchers from Copan, Honduras—Frontera Corozal, Mexico—and Belmopan, Belize. Aligned with the Peabody Museum's mission of ethical stewardship and shared authority, several...

Video: The Border Wall: Life and Injury on the Frontlines

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The idea of building a wall on the U.S./Mexico border serves as a potent symbol across the political spectrum—a means of assuaging social and economic anxieties by placing them onto a remote frontier. Ieva Jusionyte will consider how an anthropological...

Video: The Future of Happiness: How Communication Technologies Will Change Our World—Or Not

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What impact are information and communication technologies such as the Internet and social media having on our health, politics, and culture? While there is considerable controversy about this topic, informed analysis and empirical evidence to address it...

Video: The Ghosts of Gombe

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On July 12, 1969, Ruth Davis, a young American volunteer at Dr. Jane Goodall’s research site in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, left camp to follow a chimpanzee into the forest. Six days later, her body was found floating at the base of a high...