Press
Press Releases Dramatic Architectural Etchings of Roman Ruins are Featured in PIRANESI: THE GRANDEUR OF ANCIENT ROMEDr. C. Brian Rose, Penn Museum's Mediterranean Section Curator, Becomes New President of the Archaeological Institue of America
30 JANUARY 2007, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Dr. C. Brian Rose, Curator-in-Charge of the Mediterranean Section at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology and the James B. Pritchard Professor of Archaeology in the Department of Classical Studies, School of Arts and Sciences at the University of Pennsylvania, was elected the 30th President of the Archaeological Institute of America. The four-year appointment, which began 06 January 2007, runs through 2010.
National Geographic Television, Egyptian Guests, Visit Penn Museum
29 JANUARY 2007, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Penn Museum was host this morning to six Egyptians—five conservators and an archaeologist—in Philadelphia to help with the installation of the blockbuster exhibition, “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” at The Franklin Institute.
Joining them was a film crew from the National Geographic Television and Film company, documenting the visit for use in an upcoming, PBS documentary, “Inside: The King Tut Exhibit” (working title) to run in the fall of 2007.
Read more: National Geographic Television, Egyptian Guests, Visit Penn Museum
Penn Museum Offers Summer 2007 Day Camp
ANTHROPOLOGISTS IN THE MAKING, FOR CHILDREN AGES 7 TO 13
26 JANUARY 2007, PHILADELPHIA, PA—For the summer of 2007, adventurous children ages 7 through 13 can participate in a day camp that takes them through time and across continents—at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on Penn's campus in Philadelphia.
18th Annual Celebration of African Cultures
14 JANUARY 2007, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Music and dance of Africa and the African diaspora, storytelling, arts and crafts, culture and cuisine—it all comes together at the 18th annual Celebration of African Cultures Saturday, 17 February from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. throughout the galleries of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The event, an annual extravaganza, is FREE with Museum admission donation ($8 for adults; $5 students and senior citizens; free for Museum members, children under 6, and PENNcard holders).
DR. ZAHI HAWASS, EGYPT’S SECRETARY GENERAL OF THE SUPREME COUNCIL OF ANTIQUITIES, SPEAKS ON “The Riddle of the Pyramids and the Magic of King Tut” AT PENN MUSEUM
09 JANUARY 2007, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Dr. Zahi Hawass, Secretary General of the Supreme Council of Antiquities of Egypt and Director of excavations at the Giza Pyramids, Saqqara, and Bahariya Oasis, offers a special public talk, “The Riddle of the Pyramids and the Magic of King Tut,” Thursday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m. in the Harrison Auditorium of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology in Philadelphia.
Naomi Miller, Archaeobotanist at Penn Museum, Selected to Be a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer
02 JANUARY 2007, PHILADELPHIA, PA Dr. Naomi Miller Senior Research Scientist at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, was selected to be a Sigma Xi Distinguished Lecturer for July 2007 through June 2009. Dr. Miller, an archaeobotanist who has worked extensively on Penn Museum archaeological excavations and other projects throughout the Near East, will offer her newest research and insights in three lecture programs offered to Sigma Xi members, students and the public: "Past, Present and Future of the Landscape in the Land of King Midas: Gordion, Turkey"; "Has it Always looked like This? Long-term Vegetation Changes in the Near East"; and "People and Plants: The Present as Key to the Past, Ethnoarchaeology in an Iranian Village."
Tena Thomason, Special Events Coordinator, Received the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Director's Award for Exceptional Achievement
19 DECEMBER 2006, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Tena Thomason, Penn Museum’s Special Events Coordinator, is the latest recipient of the Director’s Award—established by the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology to honor exceptional staff and volunteer achievement. Dr. Jeremy A. Sabloff, Director of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, surprised Ms Thomason with the presentation this morning, at a weekly senior staff meeting.
Penn Museum Welcomes the Year of the Pig at the 26th Annual Chinese New Year Celebration
19 DECEMBER 2006, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Squeal for joy! The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology ushers in the Year of the Pig Saturday, 20 January 2007 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., with its 26th annual Chinese New Year Celebration! Music and dance performances, food, healing and martial arts demonstrations, games, workshops, arts, crafts, children's activities and much more—topped off with the traditional Chinese Lion Dance grand finale—are all part of the spectacular day-long celebration, FREE with Museum admission donation ($8 general admission; $5 students and seniors; free for children under 6, Museum members and PennCard holders).
Read more: Penn Museum Welcomes the Year of the Pig at the 26th Annual Chinese New Year Celebration
Women's Committee Presents Museum with $100,000 Check
15 DECEMBER 2006, PHILADELPHIA, PA—On Friday, 15 December 2006 Penn Museum's all-volunteer Women's Committee handed over a giant-sized check--one with five zeros before the decimal point--to Museum Director Jeremy Sabloff, at their monthly meeting. Women's Committee Chair Mrs. Stephen Goff (Marguerite) passed the honor of handing over the check to Mrs. Cummins Catherwood (Susan), Mrs. Robert E. McQuiston (Missy), and Mrs. Michael Heavener (Suchinda), co-chairs of the Women's Committee's second annual show and sale, "TREASURES...from the Silk Road to the Santa Fe Trail." An additional $3,000 was donated to the museum in honor of each chair.
Read more: Women's Committee Presents Museum with $100,000 Check
The 11th Annual Peace Around the World, Penn Museum's Free Holiday Family Celebration
09 NOVEMBER 2006, PHILADELPHIA, PA—The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology invites everyone to get into the spirit of the holiday season Sunday, December 3rd, 1:00 to 4:30 p.m., when the Museum celebrates the 11th annual Peace Around the World. It’s a FREE joyous, family-oriented afternoon filled with theater in the galleries, international music and dancing, choir music by children and adults, magic, exotic face-painting, a family craft, free treats for children, and more! (Attendees can even take advantage of special reduced-rate parking in Penn Garage 7, Convention Avenue off South Street, when they validate their parking ticket at Penn Museum).
Read more: The 11th Annual Peace Around the World, Penn Museum's Free Holiday Family Celebration
Penn Museum Curator Gregory Possehl Sets Sail Beside the Re-created Reed Boat "Magan" Following Historic Trade Route Journey From Oman to India
08 SEPTEMBER 2005, PHILADELPHIA, PA—On September 7, eight adventurous archaeologists are scheduled to set sail on a voyage from Oman to India on the Magan, a small boat made of reeds covered with black bitumen tar, as they seek to recreate the voyages of ancient mariners of 4,500 years ago--and prove that it is possible to travel across a 500-mile stretch of the sea in a boat made with Bronze Age technology, propelled by the wind and navigated by the sun and the stars. The reconstructed "Black Boat of Magan" was undertaken by the Joint Hadd Project of which the University of Pennsylvania Museum's curator of the Asian Section, Dr. Gregory L. Possehl. is a co-director, along with colleagues Dr. Maurizio Tosi at the University of Bologna (who is the acknowledged "god father" of the Magan Boat) and Dr. Serge Cleuziou of the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique in Paris. Joined with their Omani collaborators, and Naval Architect Tom Vosmer, they have experimented for over five years with ancient reed boat technology and feel that the current craft is ready to go to sea.
University of Pennsylvania Museum Receives Prestigious Grant for Conservation of Ancient Sumerian Metal Objects From Institute of Museum and Library Services
Artifacts are Part of Famous Museum Collection from the Site of Ur and the Royal Tombs at Ur in Iraq
02 AUGUST 2005, PHILADELPHIA, PA—More than 800 copper, copper-alloy and iron objects, all about 4,500 years old and excavated in the 1920s and early 1930s at Ur (a site in modern-day Iraq), and at the royal tombs of Ur , are receiving the conservation treatment and rehousing that they need, thanks to a competitive grant awarded to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology from the Conservation Project Support program of the Federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS).
Asian Section Curator Gregory Possehl Named Honorary Fellow of the Indian Archaeological Society
31 JANUARY 2005, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Dr. Gregory L. Possehl, Curator of the Asian section, University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, was made an Honorary Fellow of the Indian Archaeology Society in recognition of his life-long contribution to India archaeology, especially the study of the enigmatic Harappan Civilization (2500-1900 B.C.). The award was confired at the Society's annual meeting held at the Rai Uma Nath Bali Auditorium in Lucknow, India, 28-31 December 2004.
Penn Museum's Tiwanaku Archaeological Project Begins Groundbreaking New Effort to Collect Detailed Subsurface Data on this Enigmatic World Heritage Site with 1.05 Million Dollar National Science Foundation Collaborative Grant
Penn School of Engineering Joins Forces with Penn Museum, External Collaborators to Develop New Prototype Data Retrieval Systems for Archaeological Sites
06 JANUARY 2005, PHILADELPHIA, PA—University of Pennsylvania Museum archaeologists working at the renowned ancient site of Tiwanaku in Bolivia--a site sometimes called the "American Stonehenge"--have joined forces with a team of engineers, mathematicians, computer scientists and anthropologists from the University of Pennsylvania's Department of Computer and Information Science, School of Engineering, the Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, University of Arkansas, and the Department of Anthropology, University of Denver, to begin a large-scale, subsurface surveying project using equipment and techniques that may one day serve as a model for future archaeological efforts worldwide.
9,000 Year History of Chinese Fermented Beverages Confirmed By Penn Museum Archaeochemist and an International Team of Scholars
01 JANUARY 2005, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Chemical analyses of ancient organics absorbed, and preserved, in pottery jars from the Neolithic village of Jiahu, in Henan province, Northern China, have revealed that a mixed fermented beverage of rice, honey, and fruit was being produced as early as 9,000 years ago, approximately the same time that barley beer and grape wine were beginning to be made in the Middle East.
In addition, liquids more than 3,000 years old, remarkably preserved inside tightly lidded bronze vessels, were chemically analyzed. These vessels from the capital city of Anyang and an elite burial in the Yellow River Basin, dating to the Shang and Western Zhou Dynasties (ca. 1250-1000 B.C.), contained specialized rice and millet “wines.” The beverages had been flavored with herbs, flowers, and/or tree resins, and are similar to herbal wines described in the Shang dynasty oracle inscriptions.
Penn Museum Awarded Three Year $301,000 Grant From the National Science Foundation for Native American Research Opportunities for Undergraduates
25 MARCH 2004, PHILADELPHIA, PA—The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has been awarded a three year, $301,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to support an innovative research experience for undergraduates: "Native Voices, Past and Present, Studies of Native American Collections at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology."
Over the duration of the grant, 36 undergraduate students--18 Native American students and 18 University of Pennsylvania students--will have the opportunity to develop and engage in original research projects using the Museum's rich North American Indian collections, including ethnographic and archaeological materials.
Archaeologists Discover Evidence that Courtiers Were Sacrificed to Accompany Early Egyptian Kings into the Afterlife
Dig at Abydos Yields Important Discoveries About Egypt's First Dynasty
25 MARCH 2004, PHILADELPHIA, PA—The practice of sacrificial burials at First Dynasty (ca. 2950-2775 BC) royal tombs and enclosures has been suggested by Egyptologists since the late 19th century but never proved. However, archeologists working in the desert sands of Abydos, Egypt - more than eight miles from the river Nile - have uncovered strong evidence to suggest that the custom did exist. Moreover, recent excavations have also discovered two new mortuary enclosures - and the royal owner of one has been positively identified.
Indus Civilization Publication by UPM Curator Gregory Possehl is Winner of 2003 Choice Magazine Award for Outstanding Academic Book
16 JANUARY 2004, PHILADELPHIA, PA—The Indus Civilization: A Contemporary Perspective, a new book by Dr. Gregory Possehl, Asian Section Curator of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, has been awarded the prestigious Choice Magazine Award for Outstanding Academic Book for 2003.
A leading expert in the history and archaeology of the ancient Indus Civilization, Dr. Possehl has been engaged in archaeological research in India and Pakistan since 1964. His research interests have taken him from Iron Age megaliths to Mesolithic encampments, and he has directed excavations at Rojdi in Gujarat and, currently, Gilund in southern Rajasthan, India. In addition to his curatorial position at UPM, Dr. Possehl is Professor of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania.
Cache of Seal Impressions Discovered in Western India Offers Surprising New Evidence For Cultural Complexity in Little-known Ahar-banas Culture, Circa 3000-1500 B.C.
Find Provides New Insight into Widespread Trade, Cultural Exchange in Region
03 JUNE 2003, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Excavating at the ancient town of Gilund in southern Rajasthan, India, one of the largest sites of the little-known Ahar-Banas culture, archaeologists led by teams from the University of Pennsylvania Museum and Deccan College, Pune, India have discovered a bin filled with more than 100 seal impressions dating to 2100-1700 B.C. The existence of the seals, and their particular styles, offer surprising new evidence for the apparent complexity of this non-literate, late and post-Indus Civilization-era culture, according to Dr. Gregory Possehl, UPM curator and excavation co-director.
University of Pennsylvania Museum to Conserve Seven Ancient Ceramic Coffins from Nippur, Iraq
Conservation Made Possible in Part with IMLS Matching Grant
01 JUNE 2003, PHILADELPHIA, PA—Seven ancient ceramic coffins from the southern Mesopotamian site of Nippur in present-day Iraq - all part of the University of Pennsylvania Museum's Nippur collection and the only such coffins in the United States - will receive the conservation they need, thanks in part to a prestigious matching grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), a federal agency. The year-long conservation project will be carried out by independent conservator Julia Lawson with the advice and assistance of Virginia Greene, the Museum's Senior Conservator, and Dr. Richard Zettler, Penn Museum's Associate Curator in the Near East section.
