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  1. Homepage
  2. Discover & Learn
  3. Cultural collections
  4. World Cultures Collection

World Cultures Collection

Explore the material culture of indigenous peoples throughout the world in our International Collection.

  • Main Contact
    Vanessa Finney
  • Updated
    06/05/22

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Model of a Funerary Boat

Ancient Egyptian Collection

The Australian Museum’s Egyptian Collection includes over one thousand objects and is one of the largest public collections of Egyptian antiquities in Australia.

Ancient Egyptian Timeline
Glossary of terms
Egyptian art
Find out more

African Mask E76274

African Collection

In 1884, the Museum acquired nearly 100 cultural objects of the Zulu people, South Africa. Learn more about the collection material originally from Africa.

Zulu shields
Stone Hand Axes from Somalia
Read more

E022919

Chinese Collection

A small collection from a cultural giant, discover the objects from China held in the Australian Museum's World Cultural Collection.

Chinese scroll painting
Bronze objects
Nestorian Stele
Learn more

iE074451+06

Balinese art

Almost 1000 Balinese artefacts including nearly 200 Kamasan-style paintings, 100 Modernist paintings, over 100 musical instruments and 170 dance costumes and accessories.

Find out more

Totem pole from Canada

Kwa-guilth Pole: British Columbia, Canada

Western Red Cedar pole of the Kwa-guilth people from British Colombia.

Find out more

Peruvian Pottery: E18348

Chimu Pottery from Cayalti, Peru

In 1910 the Australian Museum purchased 54 Peruvian pots from Mr Thomas Colston.

Discover more

Close-up of textile

Indonesian Collection

Discover cultural material and objects in our Indonesian collection. The Australian Museum holds a collection of about 300 Indonesian textiles. Many textiles reflect the traditional methods of production, design and use.

Read more

Mask - Sri Lanka: E19295

Daha Ata Sanniya Masks

Ancient dance ritual in Sinhalese culture of Sri Lanka.

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Capturing Nature book

Museum Archives and Research Library

The Museum Archives and Research Library cares for the Museum’s institutional memory and its historic natural history book and journal collections dating from 1836.

History of the Museum
Archives
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Explore our history


You may also be interested in...

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Ichthyology Collection Area 2018

Ichthyology

Learn about our collection and research of fishes; including bony fishes and cartilaginous fishes such as sharks and rays.

Fishes
Sharks
Sting Rays
Learn more

MalacologyCollection Area 2018

Malacology

Learn about our collection and study of molluscs; including chitons, clams, mussels, snails, nudibranchs (sea slugs), tusk shells, octopus and squid.

Molluscs
Nudibranchs
Learn more

Asaro Mud Men in the museum

Asaro collection from Papua New Guinea

Explore the culture surrounding the Mud Men of Asaro, from the Eastern Highlands of Papua New Guinea.

Holosa (ghost) Mud Masks
Performances
Learn more

Marine Invertebrates Collection Area 2018

Marine Invertebrates

The Marine Invertebrates section is active in research on a variety of taxa, such as annelids, cnidarians and crustaceans, and holds extensive collections of most marine phyla

Crustaceans
Polychaetes
Learn more

Frog on a branch

Herpetology

Herpetology is the study of amphibians, including frogs, toads, salamanders and caecilians, and reptiles, including lizards, snakes, turtles and crocodiles.

Amphibians
Reptiles
Find out more

Palaeontology Collection Area 2018

Palaeontology

Palaeontology is the study of fossils. Fossils are the remains or traces of prehistoric living things and are preserved in substances such as sediments, coal, tar, oil, amber or volcanic ash, or frozen in ice or naturally mummified.

Fossilised specimens
Ancient remains
Learn more

Entomology Collection Area

Entomology

Entomology is the study of insects including flies, cicadas, moths, earwigs, fleas, bugs, cockroaches, bees, dragonflies, and termites.

Butterflies
Beetles
Find out more

African Mask E76274

African Collection

In 1884, the Museum acquired nearly 100 cultural objects of the Zulu people, South Africa. Learn more about the collection material originally from Africa.

Zulu shields
Stone Hand Axes from Somalia
Read more

Mineral specimen

Albert Chapman collection

The Albert Chapman mineral collection was purchased by the New South Wales Government in 1988.

820 rock and mineral specimens
Mineralogy collection
Discover more

Weird Whales books

Rare books

The Research Library holds a significant collection of rare books. This collection is regularly used in the work of Museum scientists.

Natural history
Early European exploration
Contact form
Find out more

Scientists on Lord Howe Island

Expeditions and fieldwork

Learn about past Australian Museum expeditions and field work from around the globe that have contributed to our collections and research.

Lord Howe Island
Solomon Islands
Historic expeditions
Discover more

Glass marine model

Blaschka glass models

The 19th century was a time of great scientific endeavour. In 1879 the Australian Museum actively sought to share these wonderful discoveries with the public by ordering specimens and models from Europe so that it could display all the common European vertebrates and invertebrates.

Glass models of sea anemones
Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka
Discover more

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The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.
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We pay our respect to Aboriginal Elders and recognise their continuous connection to Country.
This website may contain names, images and voices of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

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Photo of two painted shields

The Australian Museum respects and acknowledges the Gadigal people as the First Peoples and Traditional Custodians of the land and waterways on which the Museum stands.

Image credit: gadigal yilimung (shield) made by Uncle Charles Chicka Madden