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Iraq dig uncovers 5,000-year-old pub restaurant
France 24

Iraq dig uncovers 5,000-year-old pub restaurant

A joint U.S.-Italian archaeological team led by Holly Pittman of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Penn Museum has uncovered the remains of a nearly 5,000-year-old tavern in southern Iraq.

5,000-year-old tavern uncovered in Iraq
Archaeology

5,000-year-old tavern uncovered in Iraq

Holly Pittman of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Penn Museum and colleagues have uncovered a public eating space dated to 2700 B.C.E. in Lagash, an ancient city site in southern Iraq.

Whole-genome analysis offers clarity about remains of 36 enslaved Africans in 18th-century Charleston
Four people kneel outside in front of a memoerial plaque, each person with one hand touching it. The words "African Burial Ground ca. 1750-1800" are visible.

Anson Street African Burial Ground (ASABG) members (from left) Theodore Schurr of Penn, Joanna Gilmore of ASABG and the College of Charleston, Raquel Fleskes of the University of Connecticut, and La'Sheia Oubré of ASABG at the memorial plaque at the site where the Ancestors were re-buried. (Image: Servant Emannuel Branch)

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.

Michele W. Berger

At a southern Iraq site, unearthing the archaeological passing of time
lagash trenches visible

Homepage image: A drone photo of the trenches excavated in Fall 2022, the most recent fieldwork season. The closest trench shows the tavern with a type of clay refrigerator called a “zeer,” an oven, and benches. (Image: Courtesy of Lagash Archaeological Project)

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.

Michele W. Berger

Penn Museum helps make historic find in Northern Iraq
CBS Philadelphia

Penn Museum helps make historic find in Northern Iraq

A team led by Michael Danti of the Penn Museum and the School of Arts & Sciences has uncovered an Assyrian palace in the ancient city of Nimrud in Northern Iraq.

Prehistoric carvings depict showdowns between humans and beasts
Science

Prehistoric carvings depict showdowns between humans and beasts

PIK Professor Lynn Meskell says that newly discovered prehistoric artwork needs to be considered alongside archaeological evidence like food remains, human skeletons, and other artifacts.

Museum works to repatriate artifacts looted from West Africa
PBS NewsHour

Museum works to repatriate artifacts looted from West Africa

The redesigned Africa Galleries at the Penn Museum seeks to return artifacts and transform narratives of colonization, with remarks from Tukufu Zuberi of the School of Arts & Sciences and the Museum and Christopher Woods, director of the Museum.

New Penn Museum exhibit adds context to Jewish history
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.