George Grant MacCurdy (b. 1863, d. 1947) was Curator of Archaeology and Anthropology in the Yale Peabody Museum’s Division of Anthropology from 1902 to 1931, and was internationally known for his research and publications on human evolution and paleolithic archaeology. While his work in Connecticut archaeology was overshadowed by his European research, MacCurdy was also a pioneer in this area, establishing the Connecticut Archaeological Survey during his tenure at the Peabody Museum.

The Anthropology Division collections include both Connecticut and Old World artifacts acquired by MacCurdy, as well as a large collection of pottery from Panama that he published in 1911. Some of MacCurdy’s most interesting collections are those resulting from the American School for Prehistoric Research’s summer field programs in Europe in the 1920s and 1930s.