This quasi-experimental study, with the aim of comparing the effect of educating anatomy through lecture and compound methods on medicine students’ learning and knowledge retention, was conducted to 60 medicine students at Busheher University of Medical Sciences in 2013. Students were selected through census method and randomly divided into control group (instructed by lecture) and experimental group (instructed by blending lecture and work in small groups), and after pretestthey received education for 8 sessions during 2 month. Then, they took the post-test and after 4 weeks the retention test. To collect data, an achievement test was used which evaluated students’ knowledge and meaningful learning in limb anatomy course. Subsequently, data were analyzed through independent t-tests, chi-square and repeated measure ANOVA with SPSS19 software. According to results, the mean and standard deviation of exam scores in the lecture group in pretest, posttest and retention test were respectively 11.87±2.48, 25.69±2.49 and 21.21±3.37 and were 15.30±5.4, 32.21±2.81 and 26.72±2.84 in the compound method group. Moreover, the differences of mean scores were statistically significant within both groups (P<0.05); the mean of exam scores increased from pretest to posttest in experimental group (16.90±5.18), and control group (13.81±3.12) showed statistically significant differences (P<0.05, t= 2/934). Based on the results, both methods were effective ways to improve learning and retention of medicine students in anatomy course, but compound method indicated more effective.