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.
Seated Statue of Ramesses II [Object of the Day #113]
By: Jennifer Houser Wegner
Of all of the Egyptian pharaohs, perhaps none can be said to be as productive as Ramses II. Ramses II was the pharaoh who would have one of the longest recorded reigns — sixty-seven years, would fight more battles, and would produce more statuary and construct more buildings than any other ruler of ancient Egypt. […]
Gospel of Saint Matthew [Object of the Day #99]
By: Jennifer Houser Wegner
This papyrus fragment was discovered by Grenfell and Hunt (of the Egyptian Exploration Society) at the site of Oxyrhynchus in 1897 at the beginning of several seasons of excavations that took place at the site from 1896-1907. The name Oxyrhynchus (meaning “bent-nose”) comes from a type of fish that was sacred to the ancient Egyptians. […]
Mummy Case of Nebnetcheru [Object of the Day #38]
By: Jennifer Houser Wegner
Today’s object of the day is a new addition to the galleries. This colorful and beautifully decorated cartonnage mummy case lid is now on display in the Secrets and Science gallery. What is cartonnage? Cartonnage is a material consisting of several layers of linen or papyrus pasted together and covered by a thin layer of […]
Something’s Fishy in the Palace of Merneptah: Graffiti in Ancient Egypt
By: Jennifer Houser Wegner
Visitors to our Lower Egyptian gallery are struck by the colossal scale of the architecture on display there. Towering columns, massive doorways and an enormous gateway entrance – all of which speak to the power of the Egyptian pharaoh. One is impressed when looking at this monumental architecture, but very detached. There’s a reason for […]