Founded in 1869 by the physician and anthropologist Paolo Mantegazza, this museum, one of the few in Europe, is situated in the rooms of Palazzo Nonfinito begun in 1593 on the project of Bernardo Buontalenti.

The documentation collected mainly during the scientific missions of the Florentine anthropological school, exhibits materials of the original culture - now lost - of several races from different parts of the world (harnesses, clothing, weapons, boats and cult objects ...). In addition to ancient bone collections, extremely interesting to be able to study the paleoanthropology of our country, and modern osteologic findings (several skulls from all Down the world) that offer an extraordinary survey of the somatic traits of Italian and other populations from all Down the world.

The photographic and archive documents are very important from the scientific point of view. They include in particular chalk masks belonging to some tribes in Africa, Asia and the Polynesian Isles.

The first floor of the museum is dedicated to the collections of Africa, Asia, America and Australia arranged according to a geographical order; the ground floor is instead taken up by the Indian Museum (founded in 1885 by A. De Gubernatis, a scholar of sanscript), joined to the Museum of Anthropology in 1913, by the collection dedicated to Tibet, by the one showing the physical evolution of man and by temporary exhibitions.

A specialised library adjoins the museum.