Online Collections

Explore Penn Museum collections information, images, archival films, and more.

Notice for Collections Content

These records describe cultural and historical items that may be culturally sensitive. Some records may document human remains; others may contain names, images, or recordings of deceased individuals or include information or language that is outdated, offensive, or incorrect. These are based on past collecting practices and interpretations, which may not reflect current views and values of the Penn Museum.

We update records and images regularly and encourage and welcome members of descendant communities, scholars, and others to contact us with feedback, questions, or concerns.

Highlighted Objects

  • Puteoli Marble Block

    A marble block over five feet in height that originally formed part of a monumental statue of the Emperor Domitian, who ruled between 81 and 96 AD (or CE)

  • Stela 14

    This and other stelae from Piedras Negras played a key role in the decipherment of Maya history.

  • Queen Puabi's Headdress

    This ornate headdress and pair of earrings were found with the body of Queen Puabi in the Royal Cemetery at Ur.

World Heritage

World Heritage

2022-2023 Lecture Series

Since 1972, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has designated locations of cultural and natural significance that are of outstanding value to humanity as World Heritage Sites. These sites comprise a breathtaking panorama of our world’s greatest treasures, both natural and man-made, located in 167 countries. Learn about a selection of these sites.

Watch Series
Nippur, Iraq

Nippur, Iraq

Located in the marshes of southern Mesopotamia, in modern-day Iraq, Nippur was one of the most sacred cities in the ancient Middle East. Between 1889 and 1900, the University of Pennsylvania was the first American institution to carry out archaeological excavations in this region. It revealed a multi-layer site with a long and complicated history, and, most significantly, a library of inscribed cuneiform tablets that have formed the basis of our understanding of the first literate society in the world, the Sumerians.

Kourion, Cyprus.

Kourion, Cyprus

The island of Cyprus is located in the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the south of Turkey and west of Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. During the 20th century, the Penn Museum excavated at a number of locations in Cyprus. The site of Kourion resulted in some 2,000 objects coming to the Museum as a result of a division of finds with the Cyprus Department of Antiquities.

Contact Us

We update records and images regularly and encourage and welcome members of descendant communities, scholars, and others to contact us with feedback, questions, or concerns.

Contact Us