The Institute houses a collection of pottery sherds assembled between the 1940s and the 1970s. The reference collection was formed collectively during the early years of the BIAA through the survey work of Institute researchers, including Ian Todd, David H. French, James Mellaart, Charles Burney, and others involved in survey projects.
The reference collection encompasses material from almost every province of Türkiye, together with a small number of examples from abroad. It spans all periods from the Neolithic to the Ottoman era and represents the vast majority of Anatolian pottery types. In addition to pottery, the collection includes a small number of petrographic reference specimens, as well as seal and coin impressions.