In 1922, the Museum of Anthropology was created as a division of the Museum of Zoology and it became independent in 1928. Dr. Alexander Ruthven, who later became President of the University of Michigan, led the effort to create the Museum. He hired Dr. Carl E. Guthe to become the first director and he held the position from 1922-1944. It was during his tenure that the Museum’s organization, much of its research orientation to involve undergraduate and graduate students, and collection philosophy were crystallized. The Museum under Guthe conducted archaeology and ethnology in the Great Lakes, North America, and the Philippine Islands. Guthe was succeeded by Dr. James B. Griffin, who was director from 1946-1975, and he expanded the focus of the Museum to include archaeological projects outside the United States. He added curators in Latin America, the Near East, Europe, Environmental Archaeology, and Human Osteology. After 1975 a series of directors added curators in Lowland Latin America, West Africa, and Geoarchaeology.

The Museum’s collections began in the 19th century. The earliest were a series of gifts from the Smithsonian Institution. These included objects from the Wilkes Expedition to the Pacific in 1838-1842 and the Stevenson Expedition to the Southwest. The beginning of active collecting by Michigan affiliated collectors was Joseph Beal Steere’s 19th century trips to the Amazon, the Andes, Pacific Rimand Southeast Asia. His Philippine Islands expedition began a tradition of research in Asia that included Guthe’s archaeological survey and expeditions from 1922-1925. The collection of important artifacts and ceramics from China started with a Chinese Government gift from the Cotton Exposition in New Orleans in 1884 to President Angell followed by major gifts of personal collections. The Museum now has over 3 million accessioned objects, and most of the recent additions to the collection have been provided by the generous donations of private citizens and field research undertaken by Museum curators and students.

The Museum has several analytical laboratories and special research facilities. The Ethnobotanical Laboratory, Archaeological Zoology Laboratory, Analytical Collections in Geology, and Latin American Ethnohistory Library provide major resources for use by students and researchers.

The Museum, in association with the Department of Anthropology, operates the top ranked graduate program in anthropological archaeology in the United States.