Global Arts, Cultures & Design
The Mediterranean, Africa, Americas, and Oceania
Our Mediterranean, Africa, Americas and Oceania collections consist of over 35,000 objects ranging from the archaeological to the contemporary, including textiles, pottery, jewellery, sculpture, coffins, musical instruments, tools, weapons, basketry, and contemporary art.
Meet the team
Dr Margaret Maitland
Principal Curator, Ancient Mediterranean
Dr Daniel Potter
Assistant Curator, Ancient Mediterranean
Dr Ali Clark
Senior Curator, Oceania
Dr Zachary Kingdon
Senior Curator, African Collections
Nikki Grout
Project Curator, Reveal and Connect: African and Caribbean Collections in Scottish Museums
Victoria Adams
Assistant Curator, Oceania and Americas
Nicole Anderson
Curator, Americas
Mediterranean, Africa, Americas, and Oceania stories
- Discover
Feast bowl: from the Pacific Islands to Scotland
A massive feast bowl in our collection, known as an umete, comes from Atiu, one of the Cook Islands in the Pacific.Form and functionThis boat-shaped bowl is carved from a single piece of tamanu wood, also known as island mahogany. Tamanu… - Discover
Native American Jewellery
Navajo and Pueblo jewellery originates from the Southwest United States. It is denoted by, though not restricted by, its use of turquoise and silver. National Museums Scotland (NMS) has early and contemporary examples of this jewellery.… - Discover
The Qurna Burial: The discovery of a royal woman’s grave in Egypt
In 1908, an intact burial of a woman and a child was discovered in Qurna, Thebes, Egypt. Over a hundred objects were found in the burial, but the identities of the woman and child are a mystery.The find was made by a team of Egyptian…