About Collections Search
This resource contains records for artifacts and archival films and finding aids. Keyword Search queries multiple fields at once. Advanced Search allows you to focus your search to individual fields.
Search Tips
Separate keywords with a space. Most punctuation marks will be ignored. Search for an exact phrase using double quotes. Searches are not case sensitive.
| Searchable Fields | |
|---|---|
| Object Number / Film ID / Call Number | The unique number assigned to a Museum artifact or asset (such as 30-12-702). Object numbers are also known as a catalog or accession numbers. Archival film ID numbers and finding aid call numbers uniquely identify Archives assets searchable in the Online Collections. |
| Other Number | Any number or identifier assigned to an object that is not the primary Object Number. These include field numbers and previous numbers (such as from a collector's catalog). |
| Description | A physical description of the object, details that contextualize other fields. |
| Object Name | One or more words that describe what an object is in basic terms (such as statue, sherd, or coin) with an emphasis on an item’s function over its form. |
| Technique | Techniques or methods used in the manufacture of an object (e.g. woven, polished, spun). |
| Materials | The materials most present in the physical composition of the object (e.g. leather, wool, wood). |
| Place Name / Provenience | The geographic name for the area primarily associated with the object, usually where it was made or most used. Places may indicate broad areas, such as continent/country, or narrower locations like village. |
| Site | Archaeological site where an object was excavated. |
| Culture | The culture or cultures most associated with an object's manufacture or use. |
| Culture Area | Commonly used cultural region names such as "Great Plains" in North America. |
| Locus | The specific location where an object was found. For Archaeological materials, this is usually the find context for an object (building, tomb, site subdivision, etc). Locus may also be used to provide collection area details for ethnographic and other objects that supplement the Place and Manufacture Location / Mint fields. For example, Locus may be used to show that an item was collected three miles northeast of a particular village. |
| Manufacture Location | The place(s) where an object was made or fashioned even if it was used or intended to be used elsewhere. |
| Iconography | Terms describing what is depicted on an object, or in the case of some statues and busts, what is depicted by an object. These terms may include the names of deities, political figures, animals, plants, etc. |
| Iconography Subject | Controlled terms describing what is depicted on an object, or in the case of some statues and busts, what is depicted by an object. These terms may include the names of deities, political figures, animals, plants, etc. |
| Mark Inscription Language | The inscription text language that appears on an object. |
| Object Title | The accepted or proper title of an object such as may be associated with a work of art. |
| Native Name | List the name(s) that are used to refer to the object in the native language (generally) of the “use” culture. The Native Name should be the name of the object, not of what is depicted by the object. |
| Date Made | Specific dates or date ranges for the manufacture of an object. Note that numeric date range searches are not presently supported. |
| Period | Date terms associating an object with a period in cultural or political history (e.g. Ming Dynasty, Late Bronze Age, Pre-Columbian). |
| Maker | The name of an individual, institution, or group that created the object (e.g. Exekias, The American Game and Puzzle Company, Jose Benitez Sanchez). |
| Credit Line (Donor) | Text describing the source from which the Museum acquired an object. |
| Film Subject Heading | Topics or Tags used to catalog films. May include Provenience, Keyword, Creator, and Place Name data. |
| Film Title | The accepted or proper title of a film. |
| Film Identifier | The unique number assigned to a film by the Museum (e.g. F16-0106). These numbers are used to reference films in publications and to identify films in the Museum database. |
| Film Description | The written-out description of a film that ties together, and supplements, details recorded in other fields. |
| Film Creator | The name of an individual, institution, or group that created the film (e.g. Tikal Project, Kidder, Alfred (III), Mary Butler). |
Saving and Sharing Groups of Records
Use the My Finds feature to save and share lists of records. Click the "Add to My Finds +" link to add a record to a group. Click on the "My Finds" or "Lists" tab at the far right of the page for an overview of items added. When the list is complete, follow the steps listed there to create a My Finds link for saving and sharing.
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