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Welcome to the Penn Museum blog. First launched in January 2009, the Museum blog now has over 800 posts covering a range of topics in the categories of Museum, Collection, Exhibitions, Research, and By Location. Here you’ll hear directly from our staff and Penn students about their work, research, experiences, and discoveries. To explore the Museum's other digital content, visit The Digital Penn Museum.


Archives Photo of the Week: Broncos vs. Seahawks

By: Eric Schnittke

Super Bowl Sunday is almost here. No matter who you’re rooting for, the Denver Broncos or Seattle Seahawks, the Penn Museum has an object that will represent your choice. And if it’s the commericals that interest you most about the Super Bowl, we even have that covered!  

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Ur Digitization Project: January 2014

By: Brad Hafford

Personal Records, 1926 Continued Spotlight on Legrain’s travels through his Letters and photos We have now completed scanning the curatorial records of Father León Legrain, or at least those that most directly concern the ancient city of Ur. I have now read through many of them, particularly those sent to Penn Museum director George Gordon, […]

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Archives Photo of the Week: Dreaming of Warm Weather

By: Eric Schnittke

Philadelphia is cold. We were just hit with a snow storm, temperatures aren’t supposed to be above freezing for another week, and the thought of waiting outside for SEPTA just fills one with dread. Let’s think some better thoughts: warm sun, beaches, swimming in the ocean. This week’s photo of the week lends itself perfectly […]

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Weapons and Fiber ID: Lapithos Survey Update

By: Sara Levin

 The condition survey of artifacts from Lapithos, Cyprus continues. In my first post, I introduced the intricate lively designs on ceramic vessels by potters from the Bronze Age. I recently took a break from pottery and turned to the handiwork of Cypriot metalsmiths. 320 pieces in the collection are comprised of metal. These include bowls, […]

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Archives Photo of the Week: Bicycles, Horses, and a Golf Club

By: Eric Schnittke

The excavations at Nippur, Iraq are some of the University of Pennsylvania Museum’s most well known explorations. The seasons at Nippur resulted in numerous important artifacts and a plethora of new data and knowledge. Very serious work, however, calls for very serious party time. This week’s photo captures some downtime somewhere between 1899 and 1900. […]

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