Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology

Variant names

Dates:

Establishment 1901

History notes:

The Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology was founded in 1901 with three goals in mind: to introduce the students of Phillips Academy to the world of archaeology, to promote archaeological research, and to provide a place for students to gather. Originally founded as the Phillips Academy Department of Archaeology, it has also been known as the Robert S. Peabody Foundation for Archaeology and the Robert S. Peabody Museum of Archaeology.

From its founding to the 1980s, it served as a major center for fieldwork, research and publication. Charles Peabody, Warren K. Moorehead, Douglas Byers, Fred Johnson, and Richard "Scotty" MacNeish served as curators and directors during this period, and carried out numerous archaeological projects. The Peabody also funded Alfred Kidder's Pecos Valley, New Mexico, excavations.

In the 1990s, the focus of the museum turned to education, collections management and NAGPRA compliance. James Bradley, Melinda Blustain, and Ryan Wheeler have served as directors since then. Today’s Peabody Institute employs collaborative learning to actively engage students, teachers, scientists, and Native Americans with the institute’s significant archaeology and anthropology collections, while also encouraging and enlivening cultural discourse on race and gender.