Human remains in our collections
National Museums Scotland is committed to treating human remains with respect and in ways that are ethically and culturally appropriate.
UK human remains
We hold archaeological human remains from the area we now call Scotland dating from the Mesolithic to the 19th Century.
These collections were acquired from as early as the late 1800s, usually through individual donations by antiquarians. Acquisitions are now made primarily through the allocation of archaeological assemblages via the Scottish Archaeological Finds Allocation Panel, through Treasure Trove Scotland.
Download list
A list of UK human remains is available to download (accurate to 2026). This does not include objects that incorporate human teeth, hair and/or nails that can be shed during a lifetime.
Scotland's Archaeological Human Remains Collection
We have enhanced existing storage and research facilities for these archaeological human remains. This was through an Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC)-funded project, Scotland’s Archaeological Human Remains Collection (SAHRC). Working in partnership with Historic Environment Scotland and others, this project is developing sector-wide strategies for their ethical care, curation and research.
Non-UK human remains
We hold collections of human remains that come from outside the UK. These collections were made through a variety of archaeological, ethnographic and private collecting activities, including collections made during the colonial period.
The human remains in this part of the collection come from diverse cultures and time periods. This includes mummified people from ancient Egypt and Peru as well as artefacts made from or including human remains dating to the last 200-300 years.
Download list
A list of the non-UK human remains is available to download and will be updated as new research is undertaken (accurate to 2024). This does not include objects that incorporate human teeth, hair and/or nails that can be shed during a lifetime.
Further information
Our online collections database does not include images of unwrapped human remains. If images are required for research purposes please contact our Picture Library.
We have also published a list of non-UK human remains we have transferred to institutions outside the UK. See National Museums Scotland’s Human Remains Policy for more information, or email info@nms.ac.uk.