9/20
Archaeology
Ancient food and flavor
Ancient food and flavor
Food remains dating back as far as 6,000 years found at archaeological sites are now on view in a new indoor-outdoor exhibition at the Penn Museum, “Ancient Food & Flavor,” through the fall of 2024.
Virtual reality in an ancient world
Virtual reality in an ancient world
Students create films to document the reimagining of the Penn Museum’s Ancient Egypt and Nubia galleries.
Reconsidering world heritage for the modern era
Reconsidering world heritage for the modern era
Through recent research, archaeologist and Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor Lynn Meskell has continued to highlight how World Heritage Sites have become flashpoints for conflict and out of touch with local communities.
Whole-genome analysis offers clarity about remains of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century Charleston
Whole-genome analysis offers clarity about remains of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century Charleston
Building on previous work from the community-initiated Anson Street African Burial Ground project, a team of researchers from Penn led a community-engaged collaborative study that confirmed that the individuals closely align genetically with populations in West and West Central Africa.
At a southern Iraq site, unearthing the archaeological passing of time
At a southern Iraq site, unearthing the archaeological passing of time
When Holly Pittman and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Pisa returned to Lagash in the fall of 2022 for a fourth season, they knew they’d find more than ceramic fragments and another kiln.
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.
In the News
Huffington Post
There’s a reason why your boyfriend or husband is obsessed with the Roman Empire
Kimberly Bowes of the School of Arts & Sciences believes that modern-day male obsession with the Roman Empire has something to do with men’s preoccupation of power.
FULL STORY →
Miami Herald
‘Spectacular’ statue of a fish-tailed ‘minion’ god found at ancient Roman burial site
According to research from the School of Arts & Sciences, ancient Romans believed that the god Triton lived in a golden palace at the bottom of the sea.
FULL STORY →
Philadelphia Business Journal
Penn Museum to start work on $54M Ancient Egypt and Nubia galleries project, the largest renovation in its history
The Penn Museum plans to begin renovation on its $54 million Ancient Egypt and Nubia galleries this fall, with remarks from Christopher Woods.
FULL STORY →
Business Insider
From the Sphinx to the Terracotta Army, photos show 10 historical sites when they were discovered and after they were excavated
Penn researchers are credited for their contributions to the 1956 to 1966 excavation of Tikal in Guatemala and the Great Ziggurat of Ur in modern-day Iraq.
FULL STORY →
WTOL (Toledo, Ohio)
Final resting place of freed slaves in Defiance County to receive Ohio Historic Marker
Penn researchers used dogs, ground-penetrating radar, and historical records to confirm the location of the nearly forgotten Worthington Cemetery in Ohio, the burial site of around 50 freed slaves.
FULL STORY →
WHYY (Philadelphia)
Penn Museum shows what ancient worlds tasted like
Katherine Moore of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses the Penn Museum’s new “Ancient Food and Flavor” exhibition, which focuses on three archaeological sites that provided unusual amounts of food artifacts.
FULL STORY →