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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.


Left Behind

By: Therese Marmion

Some parents might find it difficult to let go of their children’s possessions–toys, trophies, mix tapes–when the kids move out and begin lives on their own. However, Carl Weiss, a member of the Museum’s Director’s Council, and his wife Andy decided to have some fun with an object left behind by their daughter, Alissa, C06. […]

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Archives Photo of the Week: Sphinx

By: Eric Schnittke

You may have to squint, but this week’s archives photo of the week is still important. This image is the only known photograph of the Penn Museum’s Sphinx en route to Cairo for shipping to Philadelphia. The photo was sent by Flinders Petrie to then museum director George Byron Gordon. The 15-ton statue of Ramesses II […]

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You can Adopt an Artifact too!!

By: Moriah Shtull

Penn Museum helps local libraries expand knowledge and understanding of human cultures through the Adopt an Artifact program. Adopting an Artifact from the Penn Museum can be done on several levels, each level providing various benefits and opportunities. For more information about the different levels, visit the Adopt an Artifact site. When a library adopts an […]

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African and Caribbean Ambassadors, Area Business Leaders, Meet at the Penn Museum

By: Tom Stanley

Ambassadors from several African and Caribbean countries joined with Philadelphia area regional business leaders Friday, November 11, 2011, when the Penn Museum was host to a business roundtable discussion presented by the African and Caribbean Business Council (ACBC). The program ran throughout the morning, concluding with an African-style luncheon in the Museum’s Lower Egyptian Gallery, […]

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Fun Friday Image of the Week – The Sphinx

By: Amy Ellsworth

Sphinx of Ramesses II in front of the Main Entrance of the Penn Museum, covered with snow. The Sphinx was moved into the building in 1916, and the Lower Egyptian Gallery was built around the sphinx in 1926. Penn Museum image 140759. I just rubbed my hands together and blew into them to get them […]

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Penn Museum Video on WHYY

By: Amy Ellsworth

WHYY has a great video about the Penn Museum on their Friday Arts page today. The video features Dr. Richard Hodges, the Museum’s Williams Director, Dr. Richard Zettler, co-curator of Iraq’s Ancient Past, Dr. David Silverman, co-curator of Amarna: Ancient Egypt’s Place in the Sun, and Alex Pezzatti, Penn Museum Archivist. At minute 22:35 you […]

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SnowMG!

By: Maureen Callahan

Philadelphia is expecting many of inches of snow, and the weather should start any minute now. It’s safe to say that the city has descended into a full-throated freak-out. So, let’s put it in perspective with some snow photos from the archives! So remember, if you’re going to go out, bring your parka made from […]

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