Online Collections
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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others may contain names, images, or recordings of deceased individuals or include information or language that is outdated, offensive, or incorrect.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.
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Great Monuments
2020-2021 Lecture Series
Monuments have been constructed throughout history—but why, how, and to what end? Join acclaimed Penn faculty and invited special guests as they examine the definition of a monument, what monuments of the past mean to the world today, whether they hold deeper or changed significance than when they were first created, if their purposes have shifted over time, and many more questions.
Watch Series
Hokkaido, Japan
In 1901, Hiram M. Hiller Jr. traveled to the northernmost island of Japan, Hokkaido, on behalf of the Penn Museum. The expedition produced over 250 artifacts as well as three journals of notes and numerous lantern slides, providing the Penn Museum with one of the best-documented Ainu collections in the US. Hiller also collected a small sample of pottery from the ancient Jomon culture which dates as far as back 12,000 BCE, some of the oldest known in the world.
Dra Abu El-Naga, Egypt
Located on the west bank of the Nile near Thebes, the Egyptian site of Dra Abu el-Naga is an important non-royal cemetery or necropolis. From 1921 to 1923, Clarence Fisher excavated at the site, focusing on the tombs of New Kingdom officials and the mortuary complex of the 18th Dynasty King Amenhotep I and his wife Nefertari (1525-1504 BCE).