Who doesn't love a good second-hand book stall? We have an amazing selection ready for our Winter Craft Market (Sunday 9 November 2025, 10am-12:30pm), with a stylish range of handmade bags to carry your new reads home with you. 1/2

There's still time to book your place in our Japanese winter coasters workshop! 1/2 🗓️ 8 November 2025, 10am-12:30pm 📍 Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 🎟️ £40pp (refreshments included) 📸 Image credits: Sarah-Cate Blake

In our latest blog post University of Cambridge researchers Katherine Enright and Liana Chua explore how colonial collecting reclassified Indigenous foods (such as tiger milk mushrooms and edible bird’s nests) and rituals as charms, specimens, and commodities: www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2025/11...

Museums "hold and care for collections that are highly complex. Further engagement and curation with communities can change the way people view and deepen the meanings to what they think they see." This is what artist Taloi Havini wants visitors to the Fault Lines exhibition at MAA to take away. 1/2

It's #AskAConservatorDay, so we sat down with CeeCee, a 2nd year MSc student from Durham University, to discover why she chose to study conservation, what she hopes to learn from her work experience placement at MAA, and much more! youtu.be/Vz3J0KnTgq8

Introducing a new tour series: African Legacies in Cambridge Museums, led by Uncomfortable Cambridge. Join a thought-provoking journey into African collections & histories within the University. Find out more & book your place on an upcoming tour: bit.ly/4hImkur

It's Halloween so we're taking a look at this stunning and 'Memento Mori' ring. `this beautiful piece of jewellery would have served as a reminder to its wearer that life is short and everyone must die. 1/3

We've got a lot of exciting events coming up! From drop-in family craft sessions during October half term to learning Japanese embroidery techniques and a Winter Craft Market, there's something for everyone at MAA over the next four weeks. To find out more visit our website: maa.cam.ac.uk/events

Our 2nd floor gallery has been transformed, and we're set to celebrate #DiaDeLosMuertos (#DayOfTheDead)! Thank you to Cambridge University Mexican Society for allowing us to host their altar. It will remain on display until 09/11/2025, so if you're in Cambridge make sure you drop by - entry is free

We're delighted to have CeeCee, a conservation student from Durham University, with us on a work experience placement and can't wait to see what she gets up to during her time with us! 1/2

Scorpio is the 8th astrological sign in the zodiac, so today we naturally had to search our collections database for scorpions! This mrammuo was used as a measure for weighing gold dust by the Asante, who view scorpions as symbols of power.

Día de los Muertos (#DayOfTheDead) is nearly here! This popular Mexican festival celebrates the memories of those who have passed and pokes fun at death. Get in the spirit of the occasion and celebrate by joining us on 30 and 31 Oct, 1-3pm, and 1 Nov 2025, 10am-4pm, for free family craft activities

In our latest blog post architectural historian Haziq Khairi explores how Walter Skeat’s records of Malay wedding decorations show how ceremonial objects (including some cared for by MAA) transformed homes into vibrant sites of celebration: www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2025/10...

In a blog post for the IndiGen project Dr Anita Herle, Senior Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor, discusses how the publication of Alfred Haddon's 1888-98 journals in 2020 revealed the value of ethnographic archives for research and community empowerment: www.indigen.eu/blog/returni...

Diwali is associated with Lakshmi, the Hindu goddess of wealth and inviting her into your house during the celebrations is a symbol of good fortune. The lotus flower she sits on and the elephants (representing the monsoon rains) which she holds in her hands are symbols of abundance. Happy #Diwali!

This striking fabric was created by the Guna people of Panama with layered fabric that is cut away to create the intricate patterns. Textiles like this are used to make molas, a shirt-like garment worn by women. We're not sure whether this complex design is a bat or a bird. What do you think?

The West Tofts hand axe, with its fossilised shell, is one of the most popular objects on display at MAA. It has been assumed that the position of the shell was an aesthetic choice by the axe's creator, but this interpretation has been challenged. What do you think? 1/2

Join us for 4 sessions of deepening mindfulness practice in the tranquil environment of the MAA galleries after hours. Starting on 23/10/2025 these half hour sessions will offer an opportunity to find quiet as you slow down towards the end of a busy day and focus on your positive wellbeing. 1/2

There's something deeply satisfying about watching Lily, our Senior Teaching and Collections Assistant in Archaeology, create a new storage solution for a collection of pottery sherds.

We are delighted to be hosting our first Winter Craft Market on 9 November, 12pm-5pm! From hand woven basketry and beautiful jewellery to stunning prints, luxurious skin and haircare products, and much more. We'll even have a second-hand book stall - with fiction, non-fiction, and children's books.

Thanks to the amazing work of the Photographic Collections team, including many volunteers and interns, we have now digitised and catalogued 90% of the Photography Collections - that's around 160,000 images! Join us in congratulating the team on this remarkable achievement and their hard work. 1/2

Discover how volcanic landscapes and the near total absence of Torres Strait Islander women from the historical records of the 19th century impacted Leah-Lui Chivizhe's choice of objects in Fault Lines. 1/2

Join us in the McDonald Seminar Room on 14 October 2025, 1-2pm, as curator and artist Miriama Bono and artist Tahe Drollet discuss their work, which is featuring in the Tau o Mai | Journeys with Mai exhibition opening at the Fitzwilliam Museum this month. 📸 Image credit: Salvador Brown.

How do we evaluate the impact of the work we do, whether it's an event or a new display? How do we deal with hazards like poisons or radiation in the collections we care for? Join us tomorrow (8 Oct) for our Access and Engagement Power Hour to discover the answers! 🗓️ 08/10/2025, 2pm 🎟️ Free 🌐 Online

Research visits can be rewarding of researchers, but also for us. They enrich our knowledge of the collections we care for and help us look at them in new ways. It was a very exciting moment when the first shadow puppet appeared on a screen during a recent visit to the Centre for Material Culture!

As the museum is closed today (Friday 3 October 2025) for staff training we thought we'd take a look back at how our galleries used to look in the 1970s! There are a lot of differences between when this phot was made and how the space appears today, but what similarities can you spot?

Don't forget that due to staff training the museum will be closed tomorrow (Friday 3 October 2025). We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Head over to our website now to plan your visit: maa.cam.ac.uk/visit #MuseumClosure

Take a journey across the oceans and join us for an evening shaped by contemporary Pacific artists. 🗓️ 17/10/2025, 7-9pm 📍Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology 🎟️ Free, booking essential Visit our website to find out more: maa.cam.ac.uk/voices-acros... 📸 Image credit: Salvador Brown.

Today marks the final day of Durga Puja, a festival honouring the goddess Durga and her victory over evil in the form of the demon Mahishasura. 1/2

Within the collections cared for at MAA is a wooden figure of the langsuir - a Malay vampire. In our latest blog post University of Cambridge MPhil students Ashley Chin and Ryan Ko trace its ties to folklore and colonial collecting practices: www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2025/09...

What's in the box? We were delighted to welcome researchers Patricia Hardwick and Jocelyn Ng from Sunway University to the Centre for Material Culture to explore and photograph a remarkable collection of shadow puppets!

Don't forget that due to staff training the museum will be closed next week on Friday 3 October 2025. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Head over to our website now to plan your visit: maa.cam.ac.uk/visit #MuseumClosure

In our latest blog post Dr Debanjali Biswas traces how collections cared for at MAA can illuminate Manipuri dance heritage, and reveal how performance, material culture, and colonial encounters have shaped the histories of Meitei identity and ritual practice. 1/2

This plate depicting the BSL alphabet dates from a time when sign language wasn't taught in schools and shows the importance of the Deaf community being able to express themselves. #InternationalSignLanguageDay  📸 MN0221.16 Plate, Cambridge, c1913-25 🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/objects/575227

Discover why Noelle Kahanu wanted to include two ʻahuʻula in #MAAFaultLines and her reflections on the care of ancestral collections in the first of a series of blog posts by the curatorial collective behind this exciting exhibition: www.indigen.eu/blog/conversations-fault-lines-kahanu

It's important that objects on display are held firmly in place, as movement can cause damage. This is something we check during our conservation deep cleans. Whilst cleaning this case Conservator Steph, noticed an object had slipped. Watch to see how we solved the problem 👇

Beautiful dappled sunlight in the quiet before we open to the public. 📸 1926.225 Totem pole, Moresby Island, Canada. Collectors: Charles and William Newcombe. 🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/objects/487619/

Join Dr Sarah-Jane Harknett and Dr Ayesha Fuentes as they share their recent research in impact evaluation and guidance for handling hazards in museum collections. 🗓️ 08/10/2025, 2pm 🎟️ Free 🌐 Online Visit our website to find out more: maa.cam.ac.uk/maa-access-and-engagement-power-hour

Due to staff training the museum will be closed on Friday 3 October 2025. We apologise for any inconvenience this causes. Head over to our website now to plan your visit: maa.cam.ac.uk/visit #MuseumClosure

In our latest Digital Lab blog post discover how browsing MAA's online collections portal led to a search for the illusive Mary who made this beautiful sampler and uncovered a link to an architectural model in the collections of Norfolk Museums Service. 1/2

As we move into a new season, there are an exciting array of #MuseumJobs on offer across our Museums & Garden: With @cubotanicgarden.bsky.social: Family Learning Coordinator Interpretation & Learning Coordinator Team Leader - Garden Landscapes Research Grants Facilitator 📸 Howard Rice (1/3)

Is there anything more satisfying than watching Lily, our Senior Teaching and Collections Assistant in Archaeology, create a new storage solution for some stunning shabtis?

This adorable little pig is a toy piggy bank from Bolivia. However, we know from the documentation of William Sillar that the glaze contains lead from car batteries. 1/2 📸 1993.1 Miniature piggy bank, Huayculi, Bolivia. Collector: William Sillar. 🔗 collections.maa.cam.ac.uk/objects/486756/

Join us as we take a peek behind-the-scenes to see how we installed our new metal detecting display! Video description: A member of the Archaeology collections team, with help from the Head of Workshop, installs images, text, mounts and finally objects into a display case.

Meet Bruce! One of his humans, Frederick Williamson, was a British diplomat, so Bruce got to meet some very important people from Sikkim, Bhutan, and Tibet. Here he is making friends with the Sikkim Crown Prince Kunzang Paljor Namgyal. Like if you think Bruce is a good boy! #InternationalDogDay

These paper figurines bring Chinese operatic characters to life! Representing characters from literature and history, they connect with 昆曲 (Kūnqǔ Opera) customs spanning thousands of years. Find out more about these cut-outs in our latest blog post: www.maadigitallab.org/blog/2025/08...

We thought we'd share this photo for #WorldPhotographyDay, not only is it a beautifully composed image (we love the reflections in the water), but the man pictured may himself be in the middle of making a photograph! 1/2

@camunivmuseums.bsky.social Conservator of Objects Steph is continuing her deep clean of the archaeological collections on display in our ground floor gallery. She carefully removes any dust from each object, checking its condition as she does so. Even the case itself gets a good clean!

If you're looking for a low-cost family adventure this summer, don't forget we're open Tuesday to Saturday, 10am-5pm, and Sunday, 12-5pm. Entry is free and there are museum trails available at the front desk and colouring sheets on the 2nd floor. 1/3

This adorable little figure once decorated a pottery vessel, but we're not sure what animal it's meant to represent. Is it an armadillo, a tapir, or even a type of rodent? Let us know your guesses in the comments!