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Osteology Collection

The osteology collections housed in the Environmental Archeology Lab represent over 100 genera, including domestic mammals, primates, and many species of birds, reptiles, and amphibians. Most of the collections come from the George Brown Goode Biological Collection (GBGBC) of the Wesleyan Natural History Museum.

The GBGBC is a historical collection with some objects dating back to before Wesleyan University was founded. These animal bones were displayed in the original Wesleyan Natural History Museum in Judd hall until 1957 when the museum was closed to make room for more research labs. After the closure of the museum, the osteology collection was stored haphazardly in tunnels under Foss Hill, in faculty offices, or sadly, sold off or thrown away. Some materials ended up in the Anthropology and Archaeology Collections (AAC) on the third floor of Exley Science Center. In 2019, when Dr. Wendi Field Murray began working as collections manager for the AAC, she noted that these materials should be available to faculty and students for teaching comparative anatomy. The materials were moved into the Environmental Archaeology Lab where they are now stored long-term.

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