Title 49 from the Pitt Rivers Museum History, 1884

Comparison of Geographical statistics regarding the Pitt Rivers Museum's collections up to 1945

Classes and types of objects by continent

[article ID:336]

Classes	Africa	Americas	Asia	Australia	Europe	Oceania	Global up to 1945	Global up to 2003
Agriculture	345	71	535	6	380	65	1,374	1,957
Animalia	1,074	206	241	167	862	620	3,181	5,899
Animal Gear	315	128	303	2	562	16	1,326	2,223
Bag	343	315	583	63	181	265	1,744	2,951
Barkcloth	108	21	73	6	0	550	762	866
Basketry	1,295	541	1,382	256	91	698	4,235	6,247
Body Art	335	147	641	23	23	154	1,321	1,869
Box	1,014	76	1,983	3	1,479	122	4,645	7,063
Carving	36	8	28	2	50	24	134	153
Ceremonial	802	327	888	207	184	359	2,761	5,210
Children	365	168	609	13	189	154	1,473	5,536
Clothing	1,180	815	3,061	96	976	820	6,846	12,543
Commemoration	25	3	193	7	22	40	285	537
Cordage	331	189	294	94	77	253	1,244	1,780
Currency	913	403	1,702	1	707	416	3,995	5,960
Dance	297	167	324	44	33	258	1,120	1,737
Death	1,766	1,804	737	62	324	176	4,843	5,872
Dwelling	95	53	303	1	149	90	681	1,322
Fan	99	24	90	2	30	93	334	626
Figure	2,384	2,072	3,138	51	1,191	893	9,571	16,321
Fire	217	136	954	75	1,389	175	2,946	3,507
Fishing	249	468	430	211	305	1,008	2,654	3,181
Food	1,359	673	1,436	55	701	738	4,907	7,616
Furniture Dwelling	549	80	238	2	41	151	1,061	2,372
Geology	581	77	684	355	1,075	78	2,910	3,330
Headhunting	6	15	252	0	1	17	290	329
Hunting	251	697	605	23	91	138	1,786	2,520
Insignia	226	23	440	1	180	32	894	1,793
Lighting	245	49	705	0	1,445	45	2,516	3,257
Lock	76	1	79	0	213	0	357	1,649
Marriage	136	10	101	7	34	10	293	884
Mask	166	44	248	6	4	55	525	863
Measurement	2,358	23	406	4	514	35	3,325	4,757
Medicine	779	91	633	49	209	37	1,774	2,269
Metallurgy	332	14	167	0	33	0	548	725
Model	362	441	934	8	505	110	2,306	3,412
Music	2,134	599	1,767	96	928	524	6,038	8,879
Narcotic	1,112	268	1,317	34	317	674	3,701	4,905
Navigation	141	282	317	10	195	476	1,397	1,661
Ornament & bead	8,320	1,771	5,131	547	2,456	3,194	21,345	41,353 **
Photograph [1]	720	166	799	107	396	584	2,552	7,020
Physical Anthropology	225	130	330	46	378	155	1,303	3,153
Picture	417	113	1,144	25	694	48	2,369	7,187
Plant	632	334	518	366	296	288	2,433	4,323
Pottery	3,671	2,578	1,209	0	4,984	117	12,597	19,698
Punishment & Torture	96	38	57	4	47	12	253	449
Religion	4,322	2,828	5,842	189	1,637	416	15,125	24,477
Reproduction	582	91	310	16	1,292	73	2,274	2,757
Scientific Apparatus	0	0	15	0	12	0	27	103
Specimen	1,933	628	1,757	158	1,540	636	6,722	10,620
Sport	20	45	112	8	32	20	238	289
Status	732	88	1,738	67	84	235	2,941	4,561
Technique	647	138	651	20	1,004	461	2,990	4,069
Textile	600	1,300	1,451	25	2,138	250	5,755	9,838
Theatre	16	4	354	0	87	0	390	693
Time	7	7	44	0	128	8	193	264
Toilet	613	177	623	6	323	284	2,017	2,891
Toy & Game	810	655	3,292	19	906	149	5,645	7,942
Trade	1,149	386	504	26	359	519	2,800	10,400
Transport	438	150	526	9	304	175	1,563	2,352
Vessel	2,498	1,215	1,642	32	1,469	631	7,463	11,941
Writing	441	131	2,078	42	985	34	3,670	6,567
Definite Tool	13,078	1,485	6,376	15,922	17,776	2,950	57,750	- **
Definite Weapon	4,929	3,209	6,211	1,088	2,637	4,168	22,085	- **
Either tool or weapon	2,525	1,481	2,289	225	3,242	879	10,709	- **
Stone tool [definite]	12,936	744	4,085	15,610	14,426	2,441	48,968	- **
Percentage of tools that are stone tools	99%	50%	64%	98%	81%	83%	85%	- **
Total number of objects from continent*	47,114	15,715	40,231	18,465	41,898	17,088	179,765	274,624

* Obviously adding up the totals for each of the classes does not give the total number of objects from each continent as an object can have more than one class related to it.

In addition, there can be double counting between classes as each object can be more than one class but also each object MIGHT not be specifically enough provenanced and may have more than one country or continent assigned to it, for this reason counting up the separate continental totals for each class will not necessarily give you the global total.

** Here are the figures for 30.10.03 (just for interest, these cannot be amalgamated with the figures above for obvious reasons):

Definite tools - 82,729 [% of total number of objects = 30%]

Definite weapons - 26,424 [% of total number of objects = 10%]

Tools or weapons - 14,721 [% of total number of objects = 5%]

Stone tools (definite) - 71,389 [% of total number of objects = 26%]

% of definite tools that are made of stone: 86%

Total number of entries in database 30.10.03 - 197,616 [figure for database used above was 197311]

Total number of objects in database 30.10.03 - 275,076 [figure for database used above was 274624]

Note that during the time in which the geographical statistics were being prepared, signal as a class was removed from the objects database (signals are a keyword, musical instrument or insignia are used as replacement classes). Signal has therefore been omitted from the above composite table though it is present in each of the continental statistics.

Stone tools

From calculating all the continental statistics we knew that the number of stone tools was the most remarkable thing, as can be seen below in 1945 tools were 32 per cent of the overall PRM collections (that is, a third of all objects were tools and of these 85 per cent were stone tools), and in 2003, as can be seen above, tools were 26 per cent of the total PRM collections (that is, a quarter of the collections with 86 per cent of these being stone tools - or to put it another way, over a fifth of all objects in 2003 are stone tools and the percentage was even higher in 1945).

Percentages of total number of objects for that continent (or globally, for that period) for each class

Items which are 5% or more of continental total number of objects are in red

Classes	Africa	%	Amer-icas	%	Asia	%	Aust-ralia	%	Europe	%	Oceania	%	Global up to 1945	%	Global up to 2003	%
Agriculture	345	0.7	71	0.4	535	1.3	6	0	380	0.9	65	0.3	1,374	0.7	1,957	0.7
Animalia	1,074	2.2	206	1.3	241	0.5	167	0.9	862	2.0	620	3.6	3,181	1.7	5,899	2.1
Animal Gear	315	0.6	128	0.8	303	0.7	2	0	562	1.3	16	0	1,326	0.7	2,223	0.8
Bag	343	0.7	315	2.0	583	1.4	63	0.3	181	0.4	265	1.5	1,744	0.9	2,951	1.0
Barkcloth	108	0.2	21	0.1	73	0.1	6	0	0	0	550	3.2	762	0.4	866	0.3
Basketry	1,295	2.7	541	3.4	1,382	3.4	256	1.3	91	0.2	698	4.0	4,235	2.3	6,247	2.2
Body Art	335	0.7	147	0.9	641	1.5	23	0.1	23	0	154	0.9	1,321	0.7	1,869	0.6
Box	1,014	2.1	76	0.4	1,983	4.9	3	0	1,479	3.5	122	0.7	4,645	2.5	7,063	2.5
Carving	36	0	8	0	28	0	2	0	50	0.1	24	0.1	134	0	153	0
Ceremonial	802	1.7	327	2.0	888	2.2	207	1.1	184	0.4	359	2.1	2,761	1.5	5,210	1.8
Children	365	0.7	168	1.0	609	1.5	13	0	189	0.4	154	0.9	1,473	0.8	5,536	2.0
Clothing	1,180	2.5	815	5.1	3,061	7.6	96	0.3	976	2.3	820	4.7	6,846	3.8	1,2543	4.5
Comm-emoration	25	0	3	0	193	0.4	7	0	22	0	40	0.2	285	0.1	537	0.1
Cordage	331	0.7	189	1.2	294	0.7	94	0.3	77	0.1	253	1.5	1,244	0.6	1,780	0.6
Currency	913	1.9	403	2.5	1,702	4.2	1	0	707	1.6	416	2.4	3,995	2.2	5,960	2.1
Dance	297	0.6	167	1.0	324	0.8	44	0.2	33	0	258	1.5	1,120	0.6	1,737	0.6
Death	1,766	3.7	1,804	11.4	737	1.8	62	0.3	324	0.7	176	1.0	4,843	2.6	5,872	2.1
Dwelling	95	0.2	53	0.3	303	0.7	1	0	149	0.3	90	0.5	681	0.3	1,322	0.4
Fan	99	0.2	24	0.1	90	0.1	2	0	30	0	93	0.5	334	0.1	626	0.2
Figure	2,384	5.0	2,072	13.1	3,138	7.7	51	0.2	1191	2.8	893	5.2	9,571	5.3	16,321	5.9
Fire	217	0.4	136	0.8	954	2.3	75	0.4	1,389	3.3	175	1.0	2,946	1.6	3,507	1.2
Fishing	249	0.5	468	2.9	430	1.0	211	1.1	305	0.7	1,008	5.8	2,654	1.4	3,181	1.1
Food	1,359	2.8	673	4.2	1,436	3.5	55	0.2	701	1.6	738	4.3	4,907	2.7	7,616	2.7
Furniture Dwelling	549	1.1	80	0.5	238	0.5	2	0	41	0	151	0.9	1,061	0.5	2,372	0.8
Geology	581	1.2	77	0.5	684	1.7	355	1.9	1,075	2.5	78	0.4	2,910	1.6	3,330	1.2
Headhunting	6	0	15	0	252	0.6	0	0	1	0	17	0	290	0.1	329	0.1
Hunting	251	0.5	697	4.4	605	1.5	23	0.1	91	0.2	138	0.8	1,786	0.9	2,520	0.9
Insignia	226	0.4	23	0.1	440	1.0	1	0	180	0.4	32	0.1	894	0.4	1,793	0.6
Lighting	245	0.5	49	0.3	705	1.7	0	0	1,445	3.4	45	0.2	2,516	1.3	3,257	1.1
Lock	76	0.1	1	0	79	0.1	0	0	213	0.5	0	0	357	0.1	1,649	0.6
Marriage	136	0.2	10	0	101	0.2	7	0	34	0	10	0	293	0.1	884	0.3
Mask	166	0.3	44	0.2	248	0.6	6	0	4	0	55	0.3	525	0.2	863	0.3
Measurement	2,358	5.0	23	0.1	406	1.0	4	0	514	1.2	35	0.1	3,325	1.8	4,757	1.7
Medicine	779	1.6	91	0.5	633	1.5	49	0.2	209	0.4	37	0.1	1,774	0.9	2,269	0.8
Metallurgy	332	0.7	14	0	167	0.4	0	0	33	0	0	0	548	0.3	725	0.2
Model	362	0.7	441	2.8	934	2.3	8	0	505	1.2	110	0.6	2,306	1.2	3,412	1.2
Music	2,134	4.5	599	3.5	1,767	4.3	96	0.3	928	2.2	524	3.0	6,038	3.3	8,879	3.2
Narcotic	1,112	2.3	268	1.7	1317	3.2	34	0.2	317	0.7	674	3.9	3,701	2.0	4,905	1.7
Navigation	141	0.2	282	1.7	317	0.7	10	0	195	0.4	476	2.7	1,397	0.7	1,661	0.6
Ornament & bead	8,320	17.6	1,771	11.2	5,131	12.7	547	2.9	2,456	5.8	3,194	18.6	21,345	11.8	41,353 **	15.0
Photograph	720	1.5	166	1.0	799	1.9	107	0.5	396	0.9	584	3.4	2,552	1.4	7,020	2.5
Physical Anthropology	225	0.4	130	0.8	330	0.8	46	0.2	378	0.9	155	0.9	1,303	0.7	3,153	1.1
Picture	417	0.8	113	0.7	1,144	2.8	25	0.1	694	1.6	48	0.2	2,369	1.3	7,187	2.6
Plant	632	1.3	334	2.1	518	1.2	366	1.9	296	0.7	288	1.6	2,433	1.3	4,323	1.5
Pottery	3,671	7.7	2,578	16.4	1,209	3.0	0	0	4,984	11.8	117	0.6	12,597	7.0	19,698	7.1
Punishment & Torture	96	0.2	38	0.2	57	0.1	4	0	47	0	12	0	253	0.1	449	0.1
Religion	4,322	9.1	2,828	17.9	5,842	14.5	189	1.0	1,637	3.9	416	2.4	15,125	8.4	24,477	8.9
Reproduction	582	1.2	91	0.5	310	0.7	16	0	1,292	3.0	73	0.4	2,274	1.2	2,757	1.0
Scientific Apparatus	0	0	0	0	15	0	0	0	12	0	0	0	27	0	103	0
Specimen	1,933	4.1	628	3.9	1,757	4.3	158	0.8	1,540	3.6	636	3.7	6,722	3.7	10,620	3.8
Sport	20	0	45	0.2	112	0.2	8	0	32	0	20	0.1	238	0.1	289	0.1
Status	732	1.5	88	0.5	1,738	4.3	67	0.4	84	0.2	235	1.3	2,941	1.6	4,561	1.6
Technique	647	1.3	138	0.8	651	1.6	20	0.1	1,004	2.3	461	2.6	2,990	1.6	4,069	1.4
Textile	600	1.2	1,300	8.2	1,451	3.6	25	0.1	2,138	5.1	250	1.4	5,755	3.2	9,838	3.5
Theatre	16	0	4	0	354	0.8	0	0	87	0.2	0	0	390	0.2	693	0.2
Time	7	0	7	0	44	0.1	0	0	128	0.3	8	0	193	0.1	264	0
Toilet	613	1.3	177	1.1	623	1.5	6	0	323	0.7	284	1.6	2,017	1.1	2,891	1.0
Toy & Game	810	1.7	655	4.1	3,292	8.1	19	0.1	906	2.2	149	0.8	5,645	3.1	7,942	2.8
Trade	1,149	2.4	386	2.4	504	1.2	26	0.1	359	0.7	519	3.0	2,800	1.5	10,400	3.7
Transport	438	0.9	150	0.9	526	1.2	9	0	304	0.7	175	1.0	1,563	0.8	2,352	0.8
Vessel	2,498	5.3	1,215	7.7	1,642	4.0	32	0.2	1,469	3.5	631	3.6	7,463	4.1	11,941	4.3
Writing	441	0.9	131	0.8	2,078	5.1	42	0.2	985	2.3	34	0.1	3,670	2.0	6,567	2.3
Definite Tool	13,078	27.7	1,485	9.4	6,376	15.8	15,922	86.2	17,776	42.4	2,950	17.2	57,750	32.1	-	-
Definite Weapon	4,929	10.4	3,209	20.4	6,211	15.4	1,088	5.8	2,637	6.2	4,168	24.3	22,085	15.7	-	-
Either tool or weapon	2,525	5.3	1,481	9.4	2,289	5.6	225	1.2	3,242	7.7	879	5.1	10,709	5.9	-	-
Stone tool [definite]	12,936	27.4	744	4.7	4,085	10.1	15,610	84.5	14,426	34.4	2,441	14.2	48,968	27.2	-	-
Percentage of tools that are stone tools	99%	-	50%	-	64%	-	98%	-	81%	-	83%	-	85%	-	-	-
Total number of objects	47,114	-	15,715	-	40,231	-	18,465	-	41,898	-	17,088	-	179,765	-	274,624	-

Commentary on above table:

The following classes are over 5 per cent of the total collections from the following areas, organised in descending order (that is largest category first):

Africa: Definite tools, Stone tools, Ornaments & Beads, Definite Weapons, Religion, Pottery, Figures, Measurement

Americas: Definite Weapons, Religion, Pottery, Figures, Death, Ornaments & Beads, Definite tools, Textiles, Vessels, Clothing

Asia: Definite tools, Definite weapons, Religion, Ornaments & Beads, Stone tools, Toys & Games, Figures, Clothing, Writing, Tools or weapons

Australia: Definite tools, Stone tools, Weapons

Europe: Definite tools, Stone tools, Pottery, Definite Weapons, Ornaments & Beads, Textiles, Tools or weapons

Oceania: Definite weapons, Ornaments & Beads, Definite tools, Stone tools, Tools or weapons

Global up to 1945: Definite tools, Stone tools, Definite weapons, Ornaments & Beads, Religion, Pottery, Tools or weapons, Figures

Global up to 2003*: Definite tools, Stone tools, Ornaments & Beads, Definite weapons, Religion, Pottery, Figures, Tools or weapons

Only definite tools, definite weapons and stone tools are over 5 per cent of every continent and the overall collections in both 1945 and 2003.

* in the 2003 list we have conflated the tools and weapons with the other categories even though they are calculated on slightly different databases - this is therefore a bit of a false reading

Note: Because weapons and tools have been treated differently (that is there are four categories, definite tools (1) and weapons (2) and things that could be either tools or weapons (3) and also stone tools (a sub-category of definite tools)) from the way they were treated in each continents statistics and summary these positions will vary slightly from the table given below, which summarises the top 20 classes from each continental statistics summary.

Tools and weapons

Tools and weapons are important components of each of the continental collections, tools (and specifically stone tools) are most important in the Australian collections where they constitute 84 per cent of the overall collection (because of the Westlake collection) but stone tools are also important in the European collections (where stone tools are a third of the overall collections). Stone tools are the least important part of the collections in the Americas where they constitute only 5 per cent of the overall collections. Globally tools and weapons as a group were half of the overall PRM collection in 1945 and slightly dropped to 45 per cent of the overall collections by 2003. The only other class which is even half as important is Ornaments & Beads (actually a conflation of two separate classes on the database which have been joined because there is so much double counting between them) which form between 2.9 (Australia, presumably distorted downwards because of the extraordinary number of stone tools from the Westlake collection) and 18.6 per cent (Oceania) of the continental collections. Globally ornaments and beads constitute between 11.8 (1945) and 15.0 (2003) per cent.

Top 20 classes for each continent and globally for 1945 and 2003

NB Classes in red are those that vary from the global top 20 for 1945

[article ID:338]

Note: Weapon and tool figures given here are including double counting, otherwise in most cases the class 'tool or weapon' would also have to be included in the top 10. However if we had considered only definite tools or weapons it would, in some cases, have meant that the rankings dropped considerably, eg Americas where Weapons would remain as number 1 but tools would drop to around 5 or 6. Note that like is being compared to like however.

Position	Africa up to 1945	Americas up to 1945	Asia up to 1945	Australia up to 1945	Europe up to 1945	Oceania up to 1945	Global up to 1945	Global up to 2003
1	Tool	Weapon	Tool	Tool	Tool	Weapon	Tool	Tool
2	Ornament & Bead	Tool	Weapon	Weapon	Weapon	Tool	Weapon	Ornament & Bead
3	Weapon	Religion	Religion	Ornament & bead	Pottery	Ornament & Bead	Ornament & Bead	Weapon
4	Religion	Pottery	Ornament & bead	Plant	Ornament & Bead	Fishing	Religion	Religion
5	Pottery	Figure	Toy & Game	Geology	Textile	Figure	Pottery	Pottery
6	Vessel	Death	Figure	Basketry	Religion	Clothing	Figure	Figure
7	Figure	Ornament & bead	Clothing	Fishing	Specimen	Food	Vessel	Clothing
8	Measurement	Textile	Writing	Ceremonial	Box	Basketry	Clothing	Vessel
9	Music	Vessel	Box	Religion	Vessel	Narcotic	Specimen	Specimen
10	Specimen	Clothing	Music	Animalia	Lighting	Specimen	Music	Trade
11	Death	Hunting	Specimen	Specimen	Fire	Vessel	Textile	Textile
12	Food	Food	Status	Photograph	Reproduction	Animalia	Toy & Game	Music
13	Basketry	Toy & Game	Currency	Clothing	Figure	Photograph	Food	Toy & Game
14	Clothing	Specimen	Vessel	Music	Geology	Barkcloth	Death	Food
15	Trade	Music	Textile	Cordage	Technique	Music	Box	Picture
16	Narcotic	Basketry	Food	Fire	Writing	Trade	Basketry	Box
17	Animalia	Fishing	Basketry	Status	Clothing	Navigation	Currency	Photograph
18	Box	Model	Narcotic	Bag	Music	Technique	Narcotic	Writing
19	Currency	Currency	Pottery	Death	Toy & Game	{Currency}	Writing	Basketry
20	Toy & Game	Trade	Picture	Food	Animalia	{Religion}	Measurement	Currency

ESRC 'Relational Museum' project team

October 2003

[1] Note that only photographs included in the OBJECT catalogues are included in the statistics