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Archaeology
New Eastern Mediterranean Gallery opens at the Penn Museum
New Eastern Mediterranean Gallery opens at the Penn Museum
Featuring 400 objects that span a period of 4,000 years, the Penn Museum is opening its new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery, the latest step in a multi-year building transformation.
The story the bowls tell
The story the bowls tell
In an ambitious new project, historian Simcha Gross and Harvard’s Rivka Elitzur-Leiman are studying hundreds of ancient incantation bowls housed at the Penn Museum. They hope to better understand the objects and eventually, build a database of all these bowls worldwide.
Solving the mystery of migration into Micronesia
Solving the mystery of migration into Micronesia
Penn anthropologist Theodore Schurr explains how the use of both ancient DNA and modern genetic materials revealed five paths into this western Pacific region of Oceania, and uncovered subtleties about the society’s marital customs.
Following the trail of Elizabeth Thomas, fossil hunter
Following the trail of Elizabeth Thomas, fossil hunter
Claire Conklin Sabel, a doctoral student in Penn’s History and Sociology of Science department, uncovers the findings of 18th-century amateur naturalist Elizabeth Thomas, along with illustrator Alix Pentecost-Farren, who brings Thomas’ work to life.
Regular folks in the Roman Empire
Regular folks in the Roman Empire
Kimberly Bowes of the School of Arts & Sciences focuses on the lived experience of the Roman Empire’s working poor and the economies that dominated their lives 2,00 years ago.
Four Penn faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships
Four Penn faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships
Four faculty have been named 2022 Guggenheim Fellows—Daniel Barber in architecture in the Weitzman School of Design and Kimberly Bowes in classical studies, Guthrie Ramsey in music, and Paul Saint-Amour in English in the School of Arts & Sciences.
Keepers of the cultural memory
Keepers of the cultural memory
In wartime, saving human lives is a top priority. But secondary considerations often include preserving the cultural heritage also under siege. Penn experts offer their thoughts as the situation in Ukraine continues to unfold.
Christopher Woods on his first year as director of the Penn Museum
Christopher Woods on his first year as director of the Penn Museum
Penn Museum Director Christopher Woods leads the massive transformation of the 135-year-old institution’s building while reevaluating the collection, expanding the staff and community engagement, and addressing sensitive issues through new policies.
The now-faded walls of a medieval structure, reimagined in digital form
The now-faded walls of a medieval structure, reimagined in digital form
History of Art’s Ivan Drpić is working with sophomore Logan Cho to create 3D renderings of what once-gilded paintings on the walls of a medieval church in Serbia would have looked like.
From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations
From 2,800-year-old charred food lumps, a window into past civilizations
At a site in southern India, archaeologist Kathleen Morrison and colleagues discovered the remains of two types of dough, offering insights into how the region’s dietary practices have evolved.
In the News
Jewish Exponent
New Penn Museum exhibit adds context to Jewish history
The new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery at the Penn Museum expands the context of Jewish history, with quotes from Director Christopher Woods and Lauren Ristvet of the School of Arts & Sciences.
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WHYY (Philadelphia)
Penn Museum unveils a new look at the ancient Mediterranean world
Virginia Herrmann, Joanna Smith, and Director Christopher Woods of the Penn Museum discuss the history behind the artifacts of the new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery.
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Philadelphia Inquirer
A new gallery at Penn Museum relooks at Eastern Mediterranean history
The Penn Museum’s new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery, “Crossroads of Culture,” seeks to highlight the social, commercial, and political innovations of countries like Palestine, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon, and Syria.
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Al Día
Fragments of history from the Penn Museum’s new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery
The Penn Museum will open its new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery this weekend, featuring live musical performances, workshops, and pop-up talks alongside approximately 400 artifacts.
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Middle East Eye
New archaeological discoveries in Iraq uncover questions of community ownership
Michael Danti of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Penn Museum says that the reliefs uncovered at Mashki Gate are revolutionary for Assyrian sculpture in the way that they portray space.
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Popular Archaeology
Penn Museum and Iraqi archaeologists uncover 2,700-year-old artifacts, after destruction by ISIS
Michael Danti and Christopher Woods of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Penn Museum and Richard Zettler of the Museum discuss their recent discovery of ancient Assyrian reliefs in the Iraqi city of Mosul.
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