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Additional Museums and Collections

Clothing and Textiles Collection

What we wear reveals much about who we are—our values, culture, religion, and politics. Over the centuries and around the world, clothes have displayed power and wealth, inspired reverence, honoured religious beliefs, and demonstrated our desire to tempt, please, and play.

The Clothing and Textiles Collection consists of more than 16,000 textiles, garments, and related artefacts that explore cultural traditions and celebrate innovation and creative achievement in the textile arts. Over 250 years of fashion are represented, including an outstanding collection of women's nineteenth century clothing and accessories. There is also significant global variety in the collection, with items from Indonesia, West Africa, Guatemala, and Peru. The wealth of related artefacts such as looms, spindles, needlework tools, patterns, historical fashion magazines, and photographs add to the richness of the collection.

W.G. Hardy Collection of Ancient Near Eastern and Classical Antiquities

The W.G. Hardy Collection of Ancient Near Eastern and Classical Antiquities contains an important collection of ancient Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern objects, all of which provide valuable insights into the daily life and customs of the civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean and Near East. Included in the collection are coins, sculpture, pottery, and glass objects from the Greek and Roman world and from ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia. From these objects, we can learn much about the art and technology of these early civilizations. The collection is unique in Western Canada. It provides a valuable resource for the teaching of Classics courses, as well as a fascinating window into some of the archaeological research done by members of the Department of History and Classics.

E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum

Imagine yourself surrounded by one million kinds of insects. It shouldn't be difficult—insects are the largest class in the animal kingdom and live throughout the world on land and in freshwater. But can you imagine the incandescent wings of a Melissa Blue butterfly or the luminous green colour of a Jewel Scarab beetle? Enter the E.H. Strickland Entomological Museum, explore this incredible world of insect biology, and discover how these creatures relate to each other, to their environment, and to us.

With preserved insects from around the planet, the Museum is an invaluable resource for researchers, students, and naturalists. It holds the largest collection of Mexican ground beetles in the world, as well as significant collections of other insects from North America. It is an extremely important regional collection, with specimens representing most species of insects in the province of Alberta.

Paleobotanical Collection

With over 127,000 specimens, the University of Alberta Paleobotanical Collection is the best of its kind in Canada and among the finest in the world. The fossils in the collection are tangible evidence of dynamic, ancient organic life and reveal the profound changes in the earth's geological past. Along with the Royal Tyrrell Museum in Drumheller, Alberta, the Collection is the official repository for plant fossils in Alberta. It is a valued research and teaching resource and continues to amass stunning specimens and to explore new areas of well-preserved flora.

Mineralogy Collection

The Mineralogy Collection is an outstanding resource for discovering the earth's storehouse of hidden wonders and understanding some of nature's extraordinary geological processes. The mineral specimens explore the fascinating characteristics of rocks and minerals, including the attributes that make particular minerals especially valuable, either for their beauty or for their practical and industrial applications.

Established in 1912, the Collection is one of the oldest systematic mineral collections in Canada. It currently contains about 5,000 specimens, of which one-quarter is on display in the Mineralogy and Petrology Museum. The Museum contains fascinating highlights of the Collection, ranging from vibrant gemstones to glittering fool's gold to mineralogical rarities and oddities. The Collection, especially the specimens in the Museum, is a valuable resource for researchers, students, rock and mineral collectors, and the museum community.

Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology

Millions of years after the last dinosaur roamed the earth, we continue to wonder about some of the largest and most intriguing animals ever to roam the earth. What we know about these ancient creatures comes largely from palaeontologists who unearth and study the fossilized remains of the vast array of prehistoric vertebrate animals, including mammals, amphibians, fishes, and reptiles. Their discoveries and research guide us back in time and illuminate an amazing and diverse ancient world.

The University of Alberta Laboratory for Vertebrate Paleontology is an exceptional resource for exploring dinosaurs and other early vertebrate animals. It holds one of the finest collections of its kind in Canada, containing over 41,000 specimens, and is actively used by researchers, students, and collectors. Specimens range from 450 million to 10,000 years old, with significant fossils highlighting unique discoveries that address major evolutionary questions. Highlights from this extraordinary collection, available for public discovery, are exhibited in the Paleontology Museum.