By: Molly Gleeson

No, the mummies haven’t come to life-that only happens in the movies (think the 1932 original “The Mummy”). We are in the final stages of preparing In the Artifact Lab for the opening on Sunday, September 30, and we’re moving several mummies and other objects from storage to their new digs up on the 3rd […]

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By: Brad Hafford

This month at the Ur Project has been very busy. We have two major arms of activity ongoing, archival and artifactual (if that’s a word). This blog entry will try to display both through a point of convergence: PG 143. PG stands for Private Grave, a designation Woolley gave to graves in a particular area, […]

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By: Alyssa Kaminski

  This Nigerian armlet was made from ivory. The object would have been worn around the arm as an accessory. Carved into the ivory are images of Portuguese men (or Europeans) and several leopards. Penn Museum Object #29-93-3 See this and other objects like it on Penn Museum’s Online Collection Database

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By: Alyssa Kaminski

This Etruscan Commander’s Helmet was found in Narce, Italy, Tomb 43, as one of two found buried with the same warrior. The helmet is made from two sheets of hammered bronze, held together with large protruding rivets. It is decorated with lines and dots of various sizes that line the borders. As an incredible feature, […]

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By: Tom Stanley

This fall, the Penn Museum is offering a new series of tours specially designed for people who are blind and visually impaired. These weekly tours offer visitors the opportunity to experience our collections as never before, by inviting guests with visual impairments to touch, feel, and investigate authentic ancient objects from our Egypt (Sphinx) Gallery […]

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By: Alyssa Kaminski

  This Tunghak Mask is a dance mask used to call upon pagan spirits and hosts. The design of the object is meant to be representational of visions that evoke the “other world”. The mask is surrounded by five holes that represent pathways to the spirit world. Around these holes are where birds, seals, and […]

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By: Gabrielle Niu

This ornate headdress and pair of earrings were found with the body of Queen Puabi in the Royal Cemetery at Ur. The headdress is made up of 20 gold leaves, two strings of lapis and carnelian, and a large gold comb. When Queen Puabi was found, there were several distinct aspects of her burial. On […]

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By: Molly Gleeson

I’m going to let you in on a little secret. Conservators work hard to prevent things from deteriorating, but we occasionally like to destroy things (gasp!). Maybe it’s because we have devoted so much of our lives to saving things, or maybe it’s because we normally have to tend to such minute details so carefully […]

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By: Gabrielle Niu

This wooden vessel, made by the Bushongo in Zaire, has a flat base and a bulbous mid-section. The handle has a carved oval shape and pointed ends which, protrude from the handle. The body of the vessel is ornamentally carved with small diamond shapes. The pattern formed by the diamond shapes is often referred to […]

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By: Gabrielle Niu

The vessel, pictured above, is a four sided fanghu (fāng hú) or square jar. This vessel is composed of copper alloy, bronze, malachite and pigment. The four sides are inlaid with green malachite in a delicate pattern. The pattern is still visible despite much of the malachite being lost. On either side of the vessel are […]

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