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Jersey is an island rich in archaeological evidence created by generation upon generation of human activity. The archaeological collection, which comprises material collected over the past 160 years, reflects this fascinating story of Jersey's human past. Among the collection are artefacts not just of local importance but of great national interest. It is the only public collection of archaeological material relating to the island.

The Palaeolithic Period 250,000 -10,000 BC

An important element of the collection comes from the site of La Cotte de Ste Brelade, which is one of Europe's most important archaeological sites. Excavations spanning one hundred years have revealed a stratified sequence of Lower and Middle Palaeolithic deposits. The key finds were thirteen Neanderthal Teeth and a piece of child's skull, as well as bones of woolly mammoths and rhinos. About 100,000 flints have been recovered from the site.

La Cotte de ste Brelade

The Mesolithic Period 10,000-4,800

The Mesolithic period is represented in the collection by only a few unstratified flint assemblages.

The Neolithic Period 4,850-2,850 BC

The evidence from the Neolithic period comprises the bulk of the archaeology collection and is heavily dominated by the artefacts recovered from the island's important series of megalithic monuments which were excavated from as early as the mid 19th century and continue to the present day. The graet wealth of material includes pottery, flint and other stone implements, human skeletal remains, querns and polished stone axes, many of which were produced from exotic stones

La Hougue Bie, Jersey's largest passage grave, discovered and excavated in 1924 and more recently between 1991 -1996 when the original entrance façade was exposed

The Chalcolithic Period 2,850 - 2,250 BC

Bell beakers, flints including barbed and tangled arrowheads, wristguards and whetstones most commonly feature in the Chalcolithic artefacts in the collection.