Housed at the Ontario California campus library.
Consortium member institution of the Tel Gezer Excavation Project.
The Marian Eakins Archaeological Collection presents its guests with a window into life in the world of the past. The museum’s primary purpose is to preserve and display antiquities from the land of the Bible, especially the ancient Near East, as an important aspect of the educational mission of the Seminary. The Collection provides, as it were, pictures to aid in understanding the words of the biblical texts. Visitors from the community are welcome.
Among the museum’s significant holdings are Greek, Roman, and Near Eastern coins from biblical times; pottery representing more than 3,000 years of Near Eastern culture; and glassware from the Roman period. In addition to these and numerous other antiquities, the Collection includes items more recent in date, such as Aztec ceramics; Native American mortars, pestles, and arrowheads; and proprietary medicine bottles from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In addition to providing occasional comparison within displays of ancient materials, these latter artifacts serve the museum's secondary mission to enhance the aesthetic of the campus and create an engaging destination for visitors.
The museum occasionally displays objects on loan from other collections, including items owned by local residents. Such exhibits have featured Native California basketry, ancient Coptic fabrics, coins of the first 17 Roman emperors, and Native American pottery from the southwestern United States.
History
In 1973, ken eakins (This man had his legal name changed to feature no capital letters), then professor of archaeology and Old Testament, began to acquire antiquities from the ancient Near East for a seminary collection to be used primarily in the classroom. His wife, Marian, who held a degree in anthropology from the University of California, Berkeley, and who was a member of the Joint Archaeological Expedition to Tell el-Hesi, Israel, was appointed the first curator of these items in 1986. As curator, she initiated the public display of material and created the first exhibits. Following Marian’s death in 1990, the Seminary trustees named the growing collection in her memory and established an endowment fund for its support.
Museum Hours and Staff
Monday through Friday: 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Saturday: noon to 5:00 p.m.
Tours available by appointment only. Contact Dr. Gary Arbino for information.
Museum Director: Dr. j. kenneth eakins
Museum Curator: Dr. Gary Arbino (add email link)