The Juneteenth flag hanging from a balcony at the Field Museum of Natural History

Celebrate Juneteenth at the Field Museum

Photo: Betye Saar in 2019. Courtesy of the artist and Roberts Projects, Los Angeles, California; photographer David Sprague.

How a visit to the Field inspired Betye Saar's art

Sitting on a couch, Mojina Mote holds a framed photo of herself as a young girl.

Home Is Where the Jaki Is

mojina-mote-dsc_2283-web-crop.jpg

72 years later, Field Museum staff presented Mojina Mote, who now lives in Enid with her son Terry, with a print of the photo.

A group of African American women suffragists pose for a photo. On the left, closest to the camera, Nannie Helen Burroughs holds a banner that reads, "Banner State Woman's National Baptist Convention."

Be Determined about Democracy

nannie-hele-burroughs-library-of-congress-service-pnp-ds-13200-13272v.jpg

Suffragist Nannie Helen Burroughs leads fellow activists in the early 1900s.

Media

Anthropologists on Racism and the History of Inequality

The Field Museum

What Native Staff Are Reflecting On During Native American Heritage Month

Several ceramic bowls rest on the seafloor, stuck together along with corroded iron and remnants of sea life.

What We’re Still Uncovering from an 800-Year-Old Shipwreck

1._java-sea-bowls-field-museum_anthropology-pacific-sea-resources.jpg

What We're Still Uncovering from an 800-Year-Old Shipwreck

How We're Speaking Up For Science

A small crocodile mummy wrapped in brown cloth with the eyes drawn on, and other similar bundles in the background

Animal Mummies for Sale in Ancient Egypt

animal_mummies_header.jpg

Archaeological ruins in the outline of a house, with trees and mountains in the background

What Ancient Houses Tell Us About McMansions

el_palmillo_p11_08_2258_header.jpg

A larger house in El Palmillo, a site in Oaxaca, Mexico

Two images, one of a man with braids in a chef's coat plating several identical dishes; and several cobs of corn of different colors laid out flat

The Sioux Chef: Reinvigorating Indigenous Food Systems

Two images, one of a man with braids in a chef's coat plating several identical dishes; and several cobs of corn of different colors laid out flat. Sean Sherman by Rina Oh for the James Beard Foundation. Corn cobs from Cottonwood Canyon, Utah, in the Museum's collection.

A necklace made of beads and pointy teeth, resting on a wooden surface

How to Save Giant Tropical Fruit Bats

bat_teeth_header.jpg

Flying fox teeth strung into a necklace and used as currency on the island of Makira.

Can Peace be Purchased?

Old city ruins, including a pyramid and a central square

Can We Learn from the History of Ancient Cities?

4_teotihuacan_sun_pyramid_header.jpg

The Pyramid of the Sun and the Street of the Dead at Teotihuacan. Photo: Linda M. Nicholas.

A woman sitting at a dashboard in front of many computer screens

Women in Science: Alaka Wali, Curator of North American Anthropology

alaka_header.jpg

Detail of intricate wood carving, with a man with a sword and a horse depicted

The Tushanwan Jesuit Orphanage Wooden Screen

screen_header.jpg

Shoes

Four dried corn cobs that are shades of purple, orange, and brown

The Amazing Journey of Maize

corn_cobs_copy.png

Left: Pieces of eggshell and small bones laid out in rows. Right: A young boy and an older woman carry live turkeys by the feet through a market.

Unearthing Evidence of Turkey Domestication 1,500 Years Ago

turkey_header.png

Left: Turkey bones and eggshells from 1,500 years ago discovered in Oaxaca, Mexico. Right: A boy with domestic turkeys in Oaxaca. Both images 

Two adults and a small child walk through the Ancient Americas exhibition. A map of the globe is on the wall to the left, and many pots are in a display case to the right.

Not So Simple: Understanding the History Behind Columbus Day

field-museum-ancient-americas-morgan-anderson-17-069-6108.jpg

Saving a River from Poison

alejandra_salazar_putumayo_river_the_field_museum.jpeg

Image for Saving a River from Poison

A man stands smiling in front of an outdoor art installation, while several other people explore behind him.

A Cultural Trail on Chicago's South Lakefront

104678004_2951016771630879_1501292031500522624_o.jpg

Stabilizing the Plaster on Minirdis’ Coffin

111517_consolidation.jpg

Conservator Morgan Nau stabilizes plaster fills with adhesive injected with a syringe. Photo credit: JP Brown. Object number 111517.

Stabilizing the Plaster on Minirdis' Coffin

Mummy Brains

Radiography of a Baining Mask

145852_XrayStitched2_0.jpg

Image for Radiography of a Baining Mask

Africa's Meaning to Non-Africans

Contemporary Urban Collections

The first gallery of the Cyrus Tang Hall of China, with a map table in the foreground and a large circle of video screens above the exhibition display cases.

Cyrus Tang Hall of China

17-069-1735-Anderson_webexport.jpg

Entrance to the Africa Hall  permenant exhibition

Africa

Two visitors sit together on a bench, looking at life-size sculptures of people by Malvina Hoffman. In the foreground several bronze busts are displayed in a glass case.

Looking at Ourselves: Rethinking the Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman

17-069-2824-anderson_webexport.jpg

William Parkinson

Societies around the world have buried their dead at home. Anthropologists want to understand why the practice started, and why it has largely disappeared.

Field Museum debuts Chicago’s Legacy Hula the first exhibition to explore the migration of Native Hawaiians to Chicago

New Field Museum exhibition Chicago’s Legacy Hula anchors inaugural  Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Field Museum Announces New Exhibition Highlighting Ancient Greece

Easter Island’s society might not have collapsed

Media for The Körös Regional Archaeological Project

The Körös Regional Archaeological Project

Cultural Heritage: Surveys

survey_china_0.jpg

Archaeological field survey in Shandong, China

The Diros Project

285059_581629883768_187701210_31981937_4315524_n.jpg

Image for The Diros Project

Special Projects

Media for Szeghalom-Kovácshalom: A Virtual Tour of a Neolithic Village in Southeastern Hungary

Szeghalom-Kovácshalom: A Virtual Tour

GIS on the Körös Regional Archaeological Project

South American Anthropology: Partnerships

GIS on The Diros Project, Greece

Restoring Pottery

Kish_Pottery.jpg

Image for Restoring Pottery

Media for Proyecto Arqueológico Cerro Baúl

Proyecto Arqueológico Cerro Baúl

The Kish Collection

Comparative Studies on the Macrofungi of China and Eastern North America

US_China_macrofungi.jpg

Image for Comparative Studies on the Macrofungi of China and Eastern North America

Cultures

Explore this topic through the content here and the halls of the Museum.

Articles and videos

How a visit to the Field inspired Betye Saar's art

Home Is Where the Jaki Is

Be Determined about Democracy

Exhibit Halls

Cyrus Tang Hall of China

Africa

Looking at Ourselves: Rethinking the Sculptures of Malvina Hoffman

Related Projects

The Körös Regional Archaeological Project

People

William Parkinson

Press Releases