Browse Exhibits (13 total)
Southern Illinois has been known as “Egypt” or “Little Egypt” for nearly 200 years. Although Egyptian site names were not unique to Southern Illinois, the regional Egyptian identity which has ebbed and flowed throughout the years has endured. It can be seen in the saluki mascot of Southern Illinois University (SIU) as well as in the names of its student newspaper (The Daily Egyptian) and yearbook (The Obelisk). There are many regional businesses that use a pyramid or the name “Egypt” or “Little Egypt”. This Egyptian connection is something we Southern Illinoisans grow up knowing, but there is little in the way of explanation. Ask 100 residents why the area is called “Little Egypt”, and you will receive so many different replies! The “We Are For Egypt” project developed to provide accessible and engaging resources for the people of Southern Illinois to learn what is so “Egyptian” about the area.
While the study of other cultures has been a focus of scholars since ancient times, anthropology as we know it today developed in the 18th and 19th centuries as part of an effort to understand humanity and human societies as phenomena governed by natural principles. Early anthropologists were often natural historians who attempted to study humans in the same way that they studied geology or botany.
This exhibit explores the early development of anthropology as a study of humanity using items from the Open Court correspondence collection, articles from the Open Court, and items from the OC rare books collection. It examines early theories about the origins of humanity, research into human behavior, and the pseudoscientific theories that developed around the field in the 1800s.
While anthropologists in the 1800s genuinely sought to understand humanity and its origins, anthropological theories were often used as a tool of colonialism and to justify discrimination. These materials reflect a wide range of views and practices on the developing field, and by modern standards may contain content that is outdated or controversial.
Forgotten Landscapes honors the individuals buried in the Jackson County Poor Farm cemetery on Southern Illinois University Carbondale’s campus. As a poor farm (1873-1940s) and then Sunset Haven nursing home (1940s-1960), this property was home to some of Jackson County’s most disadvantaged and forgotten residents. It tells the story of how Professors Mark Wagner and Ryan Campbell of SIU’s Center for Archaeological Investigations, along with students, conducted research that led to the rediscovery of the cemetery and subsequent excavation work. It also provides historical context of poverty and poor farms in Illinois.