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Tackling the topic of decolonization
A mural on a brick wall. On the left-hand side, on a red background, are the word "Decolonize and Chill" in white. Beneath that are the silhouette of two men riding horses. On the right-hand side is a person with a horse, beneath the words "We are still here."

The mural depicted in this photograph is “Decolonize And Chill/We Are Still Here.” It is by artist and community activist Jaque Fragua from the Pueblo of Jemez, one of the federally recognized tribes in New Mexico, as well as Ishi Glinsky and Shepard Fairey. It is art created out of an ongoing decolonizing space and project called Indian Alley, in Los Angeles. (Image: By wiredforlego, licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0)

  • Q&A

    • Tackling the topic of decolonization

    Deborah Thomas, who runs Penn’s Center for Experimental Ethnography, and Christopher Woods, director of the Penn Museum, discuss a conference on decolonization that starts today.
    New-York Historical Society selects new trustee chair
    Associated Press

    New-York Historical Society selects new trustee chair

    H.M. Agnes Hsu-Tang, a consulting scholar to the Penn Museum, has been elected chair of the New-York Historical Society’s Board of Trustees.

    5 historical garments that showcase the link between fashion and identity
    CNN

    5 historical garments that showcase the link between fashion and identity

    “The Stories We Wear,” a new exhibit at the Penn Museum, was featured. “We often dismiss fashion as frivolous," said curator Lauren Ristvet. "But our appearances are important. The way we dress communicates who we are and what we do."

    ‘The Stories We Wear’ puts a spotlight on fashion spanning 2,500 years
    three garments in glass cases in a museum

    A new Penn Museum exhibition puts a spotlight on fashion,  featuring 250 items spanning 2,500 years, including clothing, jewelry, uniforms, weapons, even tattoos. “The Stories We Wear” will be on view through June 12.

    ‘The Stories We Wear’ puts a spotlight on fashion spanning 2,500 years

    A new Penn Museum exhibition puts a spotlight on fashion featuring 250 items spanning 2,500 years, including clothing, jewelry, uniforms, weapons, even tattoos. “The Stories We Wear” will be on view through June 12.
    Metal artifacts in Southeast Asia challenge long-held archaeological theory
    A photo of a metal artifact in the shape of a spear on a black background. In the foreground is a scale that runs from 0 to 5 cm.

    An individual can create a stone tool or a pot without assistance, but creating a metal tool like the spear here is a group endeavor—and a complex one. Artifacts like this found in Thailand showed that such metal technology could be developed and exchanged using an economic model based on communities making decisions about how to participate in regional exchange systems. (Image: The Ban Chiang Project)

  • Q&A

    • Metal artifacts in Southeast Asia challenge long-held archaeological theory

    According to the Penn Museum’s Joyce White and Elizabeth Hamilton, prehistoric communities, rather than the ruling elites, in Thailand were the deciders in how to use metal resources.

    Michele W. Berger

    Art from times of ancient Olympics on display at Penn Museum
    KYW Newsradio (Philadelphia)

    Art from times of ancient Olympics on display at Penn Museum

    Ahead of the Summer Olympics, the Penn Museum is displaying an ancient vase decorated with running athletes. “Athletics were universal even in the ancient world,” said Ann Brownlee.

    A fieldwork experience, no travel required
    Three people sitting at a table outside all wearing masks. They are around a yellow bin. They are holding tweezers and inspecting small items in the bin. In the foreground are nine styrofoam containers, some with blurred plant material.

    During the archaeobotany lesson led by Chantel White (not pictured) of the Penn Museum’s Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials—part of a two-week archaeology bootcamp—students including (from left to right) Ashley Ray, Emily Gladden, and Sarah LaPorte, learned a technique called dry sieving used to separate out organic materials like carbonized seeds, wood, and nutshell.

    A fieldwork experience, no travel required

    During a two-week in-person bootcamp at the Penn Museum, 11 undergrads learned basic archaeological skills in subjects from ceramics and sample-taking to archaeobotany.

    Michele W. Berger

    Penn team expands cultural heritage work in Iraq, backed by new funding
    Taq-i Kisra Taq-i Kisra is a vaulted hall near Baghdad that likely dates to the 6th century. After heavy rains in late 2020 caused part of it to collapse, the Penn team was asked to conduct an assessment on the structure. It’s one of the newest projects for the IHSP, funded by the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas.

    Penn team expands cultural heritage work in Iraq, backed by new funding

    Three big new projects—restoration of a fortification gate, repair of an important landmark, and a survey of historic nonreligious architecture—recently got underway.

    Michele W. Berger