The Ancient Americas

For a preview of the exhibition themes and artifacts, check out the exhibition sections described below.

Ice Age Americans
Step into the distant Ice Age landscape of the ancient Americas, and learn how the first humans may have arrived and survived in such a harsh climate. You can view hundreds of sophisticated stone spear points crafted by these early peoples and learn about the ingenious tools and techniques they used to bring down mammoths, mastodons, and other Ice Age mammals.

Don't miss:
The Virtual Ice Age Environment
Follow in the footsteps of the first peoples to venture into northern Illinois during the last Ice Age. In this immersive digital animation, see herds of caribou and mammoths roaming through spruce forests that once covered this area.

Innovative Hunter-Gatherers
Find out how the earliest peoples in the Americas cleverly coped with a changing environment as the Ice Age came to an end. Ancient artifacts, dynamic illustrations, and animated videos show you how four unique cultures experimented with new resources to feed growing populations—and in the process learned which animals could be domesticated and which plants could be cultivated.

Don't miss:
The Interactive "Food Wall"
Learn about the different plants and animals domesticated in the ancient Americas in this fun question-and-answer activity. Discover many foods we still eat today!

Farming Villagers
Discover why and how agriculture altered the Americas as some groups began settling down to a farming lifestyle. Walk through a recreated pueblo home from the area now known as the southwestern United States, handle replicas of pots and baskets, grind "maize" in a stone metate, and learn about community life by piecing together a virtual vessel using virtual potsherds like those found by archaeologists.

Don't miss:
The Southwestern Pottery Collection
Check out more than 350 stunning pieces from The Field Museum's Puebloan pottery collection that show how ceramics changed over time and varied among different ancient pueblo societies.

Continue through the Exhibition Walk-through. >>