Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations

Preserving Assyria explores the preservation of cultural heritage in post-conflict Iraq

Michael Danti of the School of Arts & Sciences discusses the Penn Museum’s latest exhibit, “Preserving Assyria,” which explores the preservation of cultural heritage in post-conflict Iraq and showcases the rise of the New Assyrian Empire.

2,600-year-old jewelry stash from ancient Egypt includes gold statuette depicting family of gods

Shelby Justl of the School of Arts & Sciences says that Karnak Temple in Egypt was dedicated to the worship of a “golden triad” of deities.

Archaeologists find a pharaoh’s tomb, the first since King Tut’s, Egypt says

Joseph Wegner of the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Museum says that a newly uncovered pharaoh’s tomb provides evidence of a pivotal ruler in ancient Egypt.

Do these ancient seals unlock clues to the origins of writing?

Holly Pittman of the School of Arts & Sciences and Penn Museum helped contribute to a study arguing that ancient Sumerian seals used to brand products shaped the formation of cuneiform, humanity’s earliest known example of writing.

People at laptops at a table, one screen open to Wikipedia

Enhancing ‘representational equity’ on Wikipedia

As part of the inaugural Wiki Education Humanities & Social Justice Advisory Committee, Heather J. Sharkey, a professor of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations, will continue working to improve Wikipedia content on historically underrepresented topics.

Uniting passions for architecture, preservation, and the Near East

Marc Marín Webb, who studied architecture in Berlin and Barcelona, is studying the impact of genocide on the built heritage of the Yezidi community in Iraq.

A person is shown holding a photo of Mahsa Amini, a woman who was killed in police custody in Iran in 2022.

Q&A

Marking a monumental death

In honor of the first anniversary of the killing of Mahsa (Jîna) Amini in Iran and the subsequent outpouring of protest, Penn will host a two-day conference on violence against women.

Feride Hatiboglu poses for a photo at Penn.

Supporting less commonly taught languages

Recently elected president of the National Council of Less Commonly Taught Languages, Turkish Language Program coordinator Feride Hatiboglu discusses the value of learning languages beyond Spanish, French, German, and Italian.

Why were young women poisoned in Iran?

In an Op-Ed, Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet of the School of Arts & Sciences says that recent attacks on Iranian women at schools represent a targeted campaign to enforce a new mode of gender segregation and political deprivation.

Ancient restaurant highlights Iraq’s archaeology renaissance

An international archaeological mission led by a Penn team has uncovered the remnants of what is believed to be a 5,000-year-old restaurant or tavern in the ancient city of Lagash in southern Iraq.

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