Open today 10 am – 5 pm

Preserving Assyria

Curators’ Lecture

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Included with Museum Admission

Event Has Passed
Drawing of an ancient Assyrian building interior.

Explore the vital work of preserving cultural heritage at the Annual Howard C. and Elizabeth Watts Petersen lecture, part of the Preserving Assyria opening day. Exhibition curators Dr. Michael Danti, Program Director, and Dr. Richard L. Zettler, Director Emeritus of the Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program, will share details of the collaborative restoration of the Mashki Gate in Nineveh, Iraq. Destroyed by the so-called Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) in 2016, this monumental Assyrian site is being brought back to life through innovative archaeology and international partnerships. Learn how these efforts safeguard Iraq’s cultural identity and illuminate Assyria’s enduring legacy.

Following the lecture, Sphinx Circle Ceramic level donors and above are invited to join Dr. Michael Danti and Dr. Richard L. Zettler for a private reception and toast. At 4:30 pm, Visionaries are invited for an exclusive tour of Preserving Assyria with the curators.

To join the Sphinx Circle or to RSVP for these exclusive events, email Catherine Perez at ceperez@upenn.edu.

About the Speakers

Michael Danti uncovering a relief.

Michael Danti, Ph.D.

Michael Danti, Ph.D., is Program Director of the Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program at the University of Pennsylvania. A Near Eastern archaeologist and cultural heritage expert with 40 years of experience leading archaeological programs and preservation initiatives in Syria, Iraq, Iran, and the United States, he currently directs Penn excavations at Nimrud and Nineveh in northern Iraq.

Richard Zettler with an artifact.

Richard L. Zettler, Ph.D.

Richard L. Zettler, Ph.D., co-founded the Iraq Heritage Stabilization Program (IHSP) at Penn in 2018. An archaeologist specializing in the ancient cultures of Iraq and Syria, Zettler has worked at Nippur, Umm al-Hafriyat, and Üç Tepe in Iraq, as well as Tell es-Sweyhat in Syria. Since 2013, he has focused on sites in the Rowanduz-Soran district of Erbil Governorate, Kurdistan Region of Iraq.

25-02-08