Archaeological holdings comprise the bulk of the Museum's collections, and number in the millions.
Greatest strengths are in the Americas and Eurasia.
North American archaeological collections include Paleoindian and Archaic materials and represent comprehensively the more recent past cultures of Eastern, Southeastern, and Southwestern peoples. Archaeological materials from Central America are unparalleled, and those from South America are among the finest in the world. Materials from Neolithic through Iron Age Europe are also well represented in Peabody holdings, along with Paleolithic and younger collections from the Middle East and Southern and Central Asia. It is the policy of the Peabody Museum to make its collections and associated documentation available to the Harvard community, the broader academic community, and the general public for teaching, research, publication, exhibition, replication of indigenous techniques, and artistic endeavors. The nature and conditions of use mut be consistent with the Museum's commitment to the care and preservation of its collections.