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others may contain names, images, or recordings of deceased individuals or include information or language that is outdated, offensive, or incorrect.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.
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.
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 SeriesNippur, 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
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.