Since its renovation last year, the Robert S. Peabody Institute of Archaeology (Peabody) has been working on expanding opportunities for students to engage with archaeology in and out of the classroom. Recently, students have worked with the Peabody’s collections to create archaeological research projects on a range of topics, including ethnomusicology and Indigenous culture.
Lainie Schultz, Curator of Education at the Peabody, explained her role in facilitating the Peabody’s engagement with the rest of campus. Schultz noted the various formal and informal opportunities for students to engage with the Peabody’s collections.
“There are opportunities for students to engage on their own outside of the classroom experience with the Peabody, and that can be self-initiated or that could be in partnership if there’s an opportunity. Students can come with a specific idea [or interest] in mind, and then I can help them develop that, or my colleagues can help develop that. We already have a really robust work-duty program that I work with my colleague, [John Bergman-McCool, Collections Coordinator]. [Also,] finding opportunities to engage with the collections [and] the communities that are related to the collections,” said Schultz.
Alberto Agudo Diéguez ’25 pursued an independent research project on a set of Pecos bone flutes after reaching out to Schultz about musical instruments in the Peabody. Explaining how the flutes were the main inspiration for his research project, Diéguez elaborated on his key takeaway from the research process.
“What inspired me to do this project was that at the start of the year I was taken to a lecture [at the Peabody]. Out of curiosity, I just went there and asked about musical instruments, and the only thing that they had visible for me was a set of flutes. And I was like, ‘Okay, why can’t I not study it? When will I ever have this opportunity again of studying something archaeological inside my educational institution?’… This is my chance, so I’ll just grab it and do an independent research project, which I had wanted to do for a long time,” said Diéguez.
Diéguez continued, “I had always studied from textbooks. This project threw me into a scholarly conversation where you basically say, ‘I have these conclusions, what conclusions do you have?’ and then we try and develop something that’s as close to the truth as possible.”
Another student, Patrick Zheng ’28, shared how his love for history led him to become involved with archaeological research. After learning about a set of ancient inscribed coins in the Peabody’s collections, he volunteered his time to research that collection every week. Zheng noted how his work with the Peabody offered him a unique opportunity to directly engage with history through artifacts.
“I actually went to Rome, so that really inspired me because it really made me become aware of how close history can be. And because it really brought me face to face with what I loved, what I love to study. After coming back from break, I just kept that mindset, and I kept on being inspired by it. It was really convenient at that time because the Peabody [had] just announced that they had made this remarkable discovery of their new collections,” said Zheng.
This spring, members of the Andover Anthropological Society (AAS), a club that allows students to engage with the Peabody’s collections, studied household artifacts from Utqiagvik, an Indigenous settlement in Alaska, and presented their findings to the Massachusetts Archaeological Society. Isabel Djerejian ’26, co-founder of the AAS, explained that the society plans to continue this research sequence, and continue to find ways to engage students who are interested in the Peabody’s collections.
“There wasn’t a quick link or easy connection between student life and the Peabody, and so I wanted to bridge the two and make a really easy path between anyone who might be interested or want to learn more about what’s housed in the Peabody… [Our project] was a good starting place for our first year. What we’re trying to do now is every year research something from the Peabody and then present our findings to the Massachusetts Archaeological Society meeting,” said Djerejian.
Zheng detailed how the Peabody welcomed his interest in its collections. He encouraged students to reach out, regardless of prior experience.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out. I had nothing to do with archaeology. I didn’t know how anything worked. But because I wanted to learn about it, [because] I wanted to experience this history, I reached out, and everybody was patient enough to teach me,” said Zheng.
Schultz reiterated the presence of the Peabody as a resource on campus to learn more about history through its collections. She encouraged students to reach out to them with any specific interests they might have.
“One of the truly amazing things about the Peabody, having a resource like this on campus, is that there are so many knowledges, especially Indigenous knowledges that can really complement our learning and our knowledge of the world… Students should at least know that we’re here, that we have these stories present, that they have this opportunity to engage with us, and [that] if they are looking for any ways to engage with Indigenous knowledge and Indigenous presences, they can talk to us, and we can help them with that,” said Schultz.
