Vol. 65 / No. 2

By: Marie-Claude Boileau and Vaughn Ortner

Hopeful Science in Bleak Times: The Legacy of the WPA Laboratories During the Great Depression

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

Greetings from Lagash

Reopening a dig site in southern Iraq after a 30-year hiatus, Penn Museum researchers made two stunning discoveries in the […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: Holly Pittman

Back to Lagash

After a three-decade hiatus, the Penn Museum reopened a seminal dig site in southern Iraq. Cities first appeared, the Bible […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: David Mulder

It’s Five O’Clock, Sumer

What does it take to reconstruct a bustling metropolis from 5,000 years ago? A great deal of fieldwork, collaboration, and […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: Reed Goodman

A New Story of Sumer’s First Cities

A large expanse of Iraq’s central floodplain, once thriving with life, now lies abandoned beyond the reach of modern agriculture. […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: Zaid Alrawi

Partners in Search of the Past

Since the 1980s, archaeological work in southern Mesopotamia has been challenged by waves of political instability, economic sanctions, and armed […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

Cultural Heritage Crisis: Penn Museum curator and Penn Pik professor Lynn Meskell reflects on speaking at NATO about protecting the world’s most historic places.

In February 2023, Lynn Meskell boarded a plane to Belgium. The Penn Integrates Knowledge Professor and Penn Museum curator had […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: Jason T. Herrmann

The New CAAM Digital Laboratory

The virtual laboratory of the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials found a physical home in December 2021 with […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: Megan Kassabaum, Anna Hoppel, Sydney Kahn, Qi Liu and Sarah Linn

Answering Key Marco Questions

Each year, three Penn undergraduates take on a venerable task: curating their own exhibition at the Penn Museum. This year’s […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: Emily Hirshorn and Emily Hirshorn

Unpacking the Past with Philadelphia Students

Since 2014, Unpacking the Past has worked closely with over 40,000 middle school students in the School District of Philadelphia, […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

Welcome News

Michelin Guide Points Readers to ‘Spectacular’ Penn Museum For more than a century, Michelin’s famous Red Guide has rated the […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

Membership Matters

Member Spotlight: Krishna Lahiri Dr. Krishna Lahiri, GR79, was born in Kolkata, India, and studied at Loreto College, University of […]

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Vol. 65 / No. 1

By: Ivan Drpic and Ivan Drpic

Remembering Bob Ousterhout, 1950–2023

The Penn Museum, together with Penn’s Department of the History of Art, mourns the passing of Robert G. Ousterhout, Professor […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 3

By: Lauren Ristvet, Virginia Herrmann, Eric Hubbard and Joanna S. Smith

From the Guest Editors: Exploring a Cultural Crossroads

THE EASTERN MEDITERRANEAN GALLERY, opened November 19, 2022, celebrates the Penn Museum’s history of excavation and research in the cultural […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 3

By: Christopher Woods

From the Williams Director: A Multicultural World, Like Our Own

Dear Friends, In our last issue of Expedition, I looked forward to welcoming you to our newly reimagined Eastern Mediterranean […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 3

By: Jennifer Brehm and Li Edwards

Celebrating Lunar New Year with the American Chinese Museum

CultureFest! is a popular program for families, intended to introduce visitors to traditions, practices, and art from the regions of […]

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Welcome News

New Director of Collections The Penn Museum was pleased to welcome Laura Hortz Stanton as Director of Collections on September […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 2

Membership Matters

Member Events, Enjoyed and Invited Penn Museum Visionaries Take New York On April 29 Visionaries joined Brian Rose, Ferry Curator […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 1

By: Amanda Mitchell-Boyask

From the Publisher: Rotating Displays

Thanks to the advance collections planning of the curatorial, conservation, and exhibition teams, all galleries across the Museum’s Main Level […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 1

By: Christopher Woods

From the Williams Director: Bridging Culture and Community

Dear Friends, At the Penn Museum, spring is in full bloom across our beautiful grounds, including the brand-new Harrison Garden.The […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 1

By: Brian I. Daniels, Clyde Prout III, Pam Cubbler, Fiona Armbruster and Sylvie Canning

Returning Homelands to a California Native American Tribe

The Colfax-Todds Valley consolidated tribe of the Colfax Rancheria received some reservation land back—here’s how. Native American tribes across the […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 1

By: Gareth Darbyshire and Alessandro Pezzati

Modeling the Past with Chris Ray

Christopher Ray, who for over thirty years created exhibition models for the Penn Museum, died on December 5, 2021. He […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 1

By: Kate Pourshariati

From the Archives: Time Travel With the Film Archives Collections

Recently the Penn Museum hit a new milestone of views of its archival and other film collections: an astonishing 13 […]

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Vol. 64 / No. 1

Membership Matters: Member Spotlight: Lois Segel

Lois Segel, graduate of Penn Arts & Sciences, is a member of the Penn Cultural Heritage Center Advisory Board at […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: Christopher Woods

From the Williams Director: Community Partnerships

Dear Friends, By the time you read these thoughts, my family and I will have officially taken up residence in […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: Charles K. Williams, II

Surprise and Luck in a Roman Fresco Project

ARCHAEOLOGY always has a certain element of surprise and luck connected to it, for it is unpredictable to divine what […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: Richard L. Zettler

An Unforgettable Smile: Remembering Lee Horne, GR88

LEE HORNE, Editor of Expedition 1990–1996, whose infectious smile and ready sense of humor lit up the Penn Museum for […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

In His Own Words: George F. Bass and the Birth of Underwater Archaeology

GEORGE FLETCHER BASS, the pioneering archaeologist who was the first to dive on an underwater site rather than directing divers […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: David Hernandez and Richard Hodges

Kalivo: The Vaunting Ambition of King Pyrrhus at Butrint

Kalivo The Vaunting Ambition of King Pyrrhus at Butrint [authors] THE MAJESTIC, fortified hilltop site of Kalivo is always overshadowed […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: Lucy Fowler Williams and X̱'Unei Lance Twitchell

Keeping the Tlingit Thought World Alive

Keeping the Tlingit Thought World Alive The Vaunting Ambition of King Pyrrhus at Butrint [authors color=”white”] A new rotation of […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

The Stories Behind The Stories We Wear: The Making and Meanings of Our Upcoming Special Exhibition

The Stories Behind The Stories We Wear The Making and Meanings of Our Upcoming Special Exhibition [authors] On September 25, […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: Tom Tartaron

In The Labs: Raising the Penn Museum's Profile as a Leader in Materials Analysis

IN JULY 2020, I was honored to be named the Executive Director of the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: Anne Tiballi, Sabirah Mahmud, Zahra Rice and Sophie Roach

Learning Lessons: Engaging Our University Community

Jazz Combos Student Exhibition Interns Explore Jazz Past, Present, and Futures WHEN PENN CLOSED ITS CAMPUS in March 2020, the […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

Artifact Perspective: Seeing Baghdad in Queen Puabi

Yaroub Al-Obaidi, Global Guide for the Middle East Galleries, drew inspiration from Queen Puabi’s burial headdress and jewelry to create […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

Membership Matters: Member Spotlight

Doug Dietrich, WG00 Doug Dietrich, WG00, grew up in Pittsburgh and has been a member of the Penn Museum Director’s […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

Welcome News

Awards, New Gifts, and On the Trail of Smugglers New Gifts and Grants THE PENN MUSEUM is pleased to announce […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 2

By: Kate Pourshariati

From the Archives: Second Sunday Culture Films

Documentaries Without Borders SECOND SUNDAY CULTURE FILMS began in 2010, after I proposed a film series connecting the Wolf Humanities […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 1

By: Amanda Mitchell-Boyask

Diverse Perspectives: From the Publisher

In the last issue of Expedition I was, with my co-interim directors Melissa Smith and Steve Tinney, on the other […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 1

Ancient Collections, New Voices: An Interview with Christopher Woods

Christopher Woods became the Penn Museum’s twelfth Williams Director on April 1, 2021. He shared with Expedition what drew him […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 1

Member Spotlight: Membership Matters

Ian Seltzer, C09, is a member of the Museum’s Young Alumni Council, a volunteer group that helps create strategies for […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 1

Welcoming New Collaborations, Faces, Initiatives, and Funders: Welcome News

Fostering Global Interdisciplinary Collaboration In an effort to foster global interdisciplinary collaboration and exchange, the Penn Museum has entered into […]

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Vol. 63 / No. 1

By: Gabriel Jermaine Vanlandingham-Dunn

Blood In A Box: Wrestling with Skin and History Through an Mbila

Artifact Perspective As a black American child growing up in West Baltimore, Maryland during the 1980s, I was fortunate enough […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

By: Jane Hickman

From the Editor

We are fortunate to have many public gardens in the Philadelphia region that are wonderful places to visit in all […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

By: Steve Tinney, Melissa Smith and Amanda Mitchell-Boyask

From the Co-Interim Directors

Dear Friends, Our gardens are part of the Penn Museum experience. All year, the Warden Garden and Stoner Courtyard invite […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

By: Khayla Saunders

Summer Internships—Virtually: Working Remotely

“HI, MY NAME IS ____, I am from ____, I attend Delaware/Georgia/Tuskegee/Syracuse/Penn, and I want to be an anthropologist/foreign policy […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

Meet Our Members: Leah Smith

Leah Smith, pictured at Glencairn Museum, grew up visiting museums and developed a love for Egyptian art. MY MOTHER was […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

By: Brian I. Daniels

The Pennsylvania Declaration at 50

ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITE LOOTING is an ancient problem, but one that intensified after World War II as museums and collectors sought […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

Virtual Museum

School and Family Programs Thrive Online SCHOOL IS BACK in session, and for many students from pre-K to college, this […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

Museum News

Remembering Jo Klein THE PENN MUSEUM COMMUNITY was saddened to learn of the passing of longtime volunteer and friend Josephine […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 3

Sara Yorke Stevenson: Suffragist, Egyptologist, and Pioneer: Looking Back

2020 marks the centenary of women’s suffrage. As we celebrate this milestone, we can also commemorate the achievements of Sara […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

By: Jane Hickman

Working Remotely: From the Editor

The Summer 2020 issue of Expedition was edited and designed entirely in our homes. Thanks to Remy, Alyssa, Alex, Page, […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

By: Julian Siggers

A Source of Inspiration: From the Director

Dear Friends, I hope that this issue of Expedition finds you well. While the Museum’s building has been closed during […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

At the Museum

Caring for the Museum and Our Penn Community during COVID-19 THE MUSEUM WAS CLOSED TO THE PUBLIC and most staff […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

Remembering Bob Dyson: By Colleagues and Former Students

Remembering Bob Dyson By Colleagues and Former Students The Penn Museum is sad to report the passing of Bob Dyson, […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

By: Christina Griffith

Revealing Ancient Faces: The Reconstruction of a Neandertal

Revealing Ancient Faces The Reconstruction of a Neandertal [authors] POST-MORTEM facial reconstruction is a technique that uses anatomical knowledge of […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

By: Louisa Shepard

Connecting the Present to the Past: Silent Objects Speak to Naskapi Visitors

Connecting the Present to the Past Silent Objects Speak to Naskapi Visitors By Louisa Shepard THE AMERICAN SECTION collection is […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

By: Dan Lomastro, Jessica Carmine and Lucy Fowler Williams

Research Notes: High Volume Digitization: Bringing Southwest Collections to Light

OVER 17,130 Southwest archaeological and ethnographic objects in the Penn Museum’s American collection are now visible and accessible online to […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

By: C. Brian Rose

Field Trip: A Penn Adventure in Turkey

IN THE SECOND WEEK of March 2020, during Penn’s Spring Break, my colleague Bridget Murnaghan and I took a group […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

Sneak Peek: The Stories We Wear: Upcoming Exhibition

DISCOVER THE STORIES behind ancient Mediterranean jewelry, tattooing tools from Borneo, Samurai armor, and much more. This exhibition will highlight […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

By: Jason T. Herrmann

In The Labs: Teaching Geophysical Survey

IN THE FALL OF 2019, the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) Digital Archaeology Lab acquired three new […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

Global Classroom

Lectures Go Digital THE GREAT CATASTROPHES LECTURE SERIES returned to the beautifully refurbished Harrison Auditorium in December. While we are […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

Member News

Curator’s Party AT OUR ANNUAL CURATOR’S PARTY on February 26, members of the Expedition Circle and Loren Eiseley Society enjoyed […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 2

Museum News

The Penn Museum in Miami ON FEBRUARY 10, 2020, Williams Director Julian Siggers and Associate Curator and Keeper of the […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 1

By: Jane Hickman

Teamwork: From the Editor

The last few years have been a whirlwind of activity at the Museum, with ongoing renovations leading to the opening […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 1

By: Julian Siggers

More Reasons to Visit the Museum: From the Director

Dear Friends, 2019 was a year of celebrations. In June, we moved a Sphinx. In November, we completed the first […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 1

At The Museum

Open to All The New Penn Museum’s Opening Weekend, November 16-17 ON NOVEMBER 16 AND 17, the Museum celebrated the […]

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Vol. 62 / No. 1

By: Jane Hickman

Artifacts from Around the World: Welcome to the New Sphinx Gallery

Artifacts from Around the World Welcome to the New Sphinx Gallery By: Jane Hickman and Penn Museum Curators and Keepers […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

By: Julian Siggers

Welcome to the New Penn Museum: From the Director

Dear Friends, In 1926, the Coxe (Egyptian) Wing opened, and visitors thronged the lower gallery to see the great Sphinx […]

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The Lost Wax Casting Technique: A Step-By-Step Guide

THE PROCESS FOR CASTING GOLD objects like ornaments and jewelry is the same as that for casting Asante brass weights. […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

By: Marie-Claude Boileau, Moritz Jansen, Janet Monge, Katherine Moore and Chantel White

In the Labs: Celebrating Five Years of CAAM

AS A JOINT ENDEAVOR between the Penn Museum and the University of Pennsylvania School of Arts and Sciences, the Center […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

By: Heather J. Sharkey

A Famous Queen Mother from Benin: Favorite Object

THE QUEEN MOTHER, or “Iyoba,” was a powerful figure in the Edo kingdom of Benin, which ruled parts of the […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

By: Jane Hickman

Portrait: Elin Danien (1929-2019)

—To the memory of my hero, my co-conspirator, and my very good friend. ELIN DANIEN was more than a force […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

Global Classroom: News From Learning Programs

Teens Learn College and Work-Ready Skills THE MUSEUM’S teen programs continue to expand the skills of Philadelphia youth. Teen Ambassadors […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

Member News

Member News and Events New Benefit for ALL Members! SHARE THE MUSEUM you love with the people you love. Beginning […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

Museum News

Museum Welcomes New Overseers The Penn Museum is delighted to welcome three new Overseers in fall 2019. As an Anthropology […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 2

By: Alessandro Pezzati

The Last Step in a Long Journey: Moving Monuments From Piedras Negras Into the Penn Museum, 1933; Looking Back

IN 1930, J. Alden Mason, American Section Curator, arranged for an unprecedented loan from the Government of Guatemala of Maya […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 1

By: Jane Hickman

Sixty Years of Expedition: From the Editor

In the fall of 1958, the first issue of Expedition magazine was published by the Penn Museum. Contents included an […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 1

By: Julian Siggers

The Sphinx Is On The Move: From the Director

Dear Friends, It is my great pleasure to share the monumental news: our iconic Sphinx of Ramesses II is on […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 1

Gallery Sneak Peak

Africa Galleries They are often called “gold weights,” but they are actually made of brass, cast using the lost wax […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 1

By: Elizabeth G. Hamilton and Joyce C. White

An Abandoned City in Laos: Research Notes

Laos is one of the least archaeologically explored countries in the world, largely because geopolitics of Southeast Asia through much […]

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Vol. 61 / No. 1

Global Classroom: New From Learning Programs

Museum Staff Judge National History Day On March 13 and 14, Philadelphia hosted National History Day (NHD) as part of […]

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Gallery Sneak Peak

Africa Galleries Some objects from the African continent were brought to the Penn Museum in the era of colonization. In […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 3

By: Salima Ikram and Paul Nicholson

Sacred Animal Cults in Egypt: Excavating the Catacombs of Anubis at Saqqara

A recent excavation at Saqqara, Egypt, is exposing an ancient bustling economy associated with pilgrims and animal cults. Catacombs dedicated […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 3

By: Christina Griffith

Dogs and Cats and Birds, Oh My!: The Penn Museum's Egyptian Animal Mummies

While most visitors to the Museum are drawn to the mummified people from Ancient Egypt, humans are not alone in […]

As soon as I set eyes on the photograph in the Penn Museum’s online catalog, I knew the ceramic figure […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 3

Global Classroom: News From Learning Programs

Global Guides Program Recieves Public Recognition The Museum’s new Global Guides: Immigrant Stories tour program, launched in May 2018 with […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 3

Member News

Behind the Scenes in the Sphinx Gallery On September 29 and November 3, members partici-pated in a behind-the-scenes look at […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 3

Museum News

Museum Welcomes Three New Overseers At its November 2018 meeting, the Museum Board of Overseers was pleased to welcome three […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 3

By: Gareth Darbyshire

Professor G. Kenneth Sams, 1943-2018: Portrait

G. Kenneth Sams, former director of Penn’s long-lived Gordion Project, and Professor of Classical Archaeology at UNC Chapel Hill, has […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 2

By: Jane Hickman

An Eclectic Fall Issue: From the Editor

The Fall 2018 issue of Expedition includes four articles on various topics: a primer on how to read and understand […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 2

By: Julian Siggers

The Transformation Continues: From the Director

Dear Friends, Our Building Transformation is truly underway. Among the many new experiences visitors will en-counter next fall will be, […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 2

At the Museum

Building Transformation We are building transformation across the Museum, with new galleries, visitor amenities, and programs. The first milestone of […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 2

By: Chantel E. White

In Search of Emily Dickinson’s Gardens

A sepal, petal, and a thorn Upon a common summer’s morn— A flask of Dew—A Bee or two— A Breeze—a […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 2

Global Classroom: News From Learning Programs

Building Work-Ready Skills for High School Students In an exciting new program this past spring, the Learn-ing Programs Department organized […]

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Vol. 60 / No. 2

Member News

Drexel and Boyer Medals Presented at LES Dinner On May 11, the Penn Museum awarded the Lucy Wharton Drexel Medal, […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

By: Jane Hickman

Unsung Heroes: From the Editor

For 130 years, men and women have worked on excavations and expeditions for the Penn Museum, sometimes under extraordinary and […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

By: Julian Siggers

The Power of Programming: From the Director

As the November groundbreaking for renovations to our Coxe and Harrison Wings approaches, we have been spending an enormous amount […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

Transformation Update: The New Penn Museum

We hope that you discover something new each time you visit the Museum. Beginning early in 2018, after we break […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

Middle East Galleries: Textile Rotations: Gallery Sneak Peek

The Middle East Galleries will contain a case featuring rotating collections of textiles, thanks to support from the Coby Foundation […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

Extraordinary Monuments from North America: Exhibition Spotlight

Moundbuilders: Ancient Architects of North America opened on June 24, 2017 at the Penn Museum. This exhibition tells the story […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

By: Janet Simon

Mary Louise Baker: A Woman of Uncommon Talent

Mary Louise Baker worked at the Penn Museum as an artist and restorer for 28 years, from 1908 until 1936, […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

By: Daniel Bauer

From Plague to Profit: Chambira Weaving in Amazonian Peru

Global integration, through tourism and conservation efforts, has shaped resource use in rural Amazonia. The chambira (chahm-BEE-ra) palm (Astrocaryum chambira), […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

Bonnie O’Boyle: Finding a Home Away from Home

I transferred to Penn in my junior year; I was interested in Oriental Studies. I had started learning some Japanese […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

By: Joanne Baron

The Mystery Queen of La Florida-Namaan

During the 2016 field season at La Florida, a fascinating discovery was made. A large stela with the carved image […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 2

By: Kate Quinn

When Museums Tackle Tough Topics: New Public Programs Foster Community Dialogue

Update on the Morton collection For updates on the Museum’s work towards the repatriation and burial of the Morton Collection, […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 1

By: Chantel White

In the Labs – Identifying Ancient Cooking Practices and Ingredients: A New Database for Archaeobotany

Over the past academic year, a new research project has begun in the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials […]

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archival photo of people in Harrison auditorium

Vol. 59 / No. 1

Global Classroom: News from Learning Programs

Bringing the Museum into Neighborhoods The Free Library of Philadelphia has several branches near schools that participate in Unpacking the […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 1

Meet our Members – Peter and Pamela Freyd: Member News

Drs. Peter and Pamela Freyd have been academics, educators, and supporters of cultural institutions in Philadelphia for more than 50 […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 1

Museum News

Johnson Wins AIA Outstanding Public Service Award Jessica Johnson, Head of Conservation at the Smithsonian’s Museum Conservation Institute and a […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 1

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Museum Exhibitions, 1890–1990: From the Archives

Known Worldwide for its pioneering fieldwork, the Penn Museum surprises the visitor with its beautiful building, extensive collections, and impressive […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 1

Exploring Sunken Cities of Egypt: Book News + Reviews

Sunken Cities: Egypt’s Lost Worlds By Franck Goddio and Auréliea Masson-Berghoff, eds. (New York, Thames & Hudson, 2016) 272 pages, […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

By: Jane Hickman

Ancient & Modern: From the Editor

Our Winter issue includes stories of the ancient and modern world. We begin with an amazing archaeological site in southeastern […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

By: Julian Siggers

Welcoming New Audiences: Renovating the Harrison Auditorium: From the Director

On November 1, we marked the kickoff of our Building Transformation project with a groundbreaking—or, rather, seat removal— event in […]

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People standing behind auditorium chairs

Vol. 59 / No. 3

Big Changes Are Underway: The New Penn Museum

Recently, you might have noticed some new signs around the Museum, featuring our famous Sphinx in a new role: on […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

Middle East Galleries: Conserving the Ubaid Standing Bull: Gallery Sneak Peek

Though Leonard Woolley’s excavations at Ur are his most famous, this is not the only site he explored during his […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

By: Adam Smith and Qin Zhongpei

Marking the Spirit Road: Funerary Stone Sculpture in China

The two winged lions that confront each other across the span of the Rotunda are the oldest and most massive […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

By: Robert Ousterhout

Palmyra 1885: The Photographs of John Henry Haynes

“We pitched our tent by the little sun temple,” wrote John Henry Haynes, as his party arrived at Palmyra in […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

By: Oliver Dietrich, Laura Dietrich and Jens Notroff

Cult as a Driving Force of Human History: A View from Göbekli Tepe

As we arrive at the site in the mountains of southeastern Turkey, a pale moon still hangs in a sky […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

By: Deborah A. Thomas

Bearing Witness: Four Days in West Kingston

The new Penn Museum exhibition Bearing Witness had its genesis in a disturbing event that took place in Jamaica in […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

From the CAAM Labs to the Field, and Back Again: In the Labs

For this issue of “In the Labs,” two undergraduate students enrolled in CAAM’s Minor in Archaeological Science write on the […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

Global Classroom

Celebrating Peace at the Penn Museum What is it like to leave the only place you have ever called home? […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Early Photographs of China: In the Archives

Photography has been central to archaeological and ethnographic documentation since its invention in 1839. Almost all Penn Museum expeditions took […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

Member News

Brian Rose Speaks at Curator’s Party At the annual Curator’s Party, held October 12, 2017, members of the Expedition Circle […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 3

Museum News

Ancient Marvels, Timeless Fascination: The Penn Museum’s Egyptian Program in London “Never stop learning” is an unofficial motto at Penn, […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Jane Hickman

Stories from China, Greece, the Kalahari, and Egypt: From the Editor

The Winter 2016 issue of Expedition opens with an article by Fangyi Cheng on the legacy of the Museum’s Mayer […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Julian Siggers

The Digital Penn Museum: From the Director

The Penn Museum has extraordinary collections and resources. Now, they are more easily available than ever before: we have launched […]

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Vol. 59 / No. 1

Transformation Ahead: The New Penn Museum

Through the Penn Museum Building Transformation Campaign, the Penn Museum will completely renovate the historic Coxe and Harrison Wings, letting […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

Building Transformation: The New Penn Museum

The Penn Museum’s Building Renovations and New Galleries Project—comprising the complete renovation of the historic Harrison and Coxe (Egyptian) Wings, […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Fangyi Cheng

Chinese Nomadic Art and the Journey to Collect: The Legacy of the Mayer Collection

For foreigners in China, the 1920s and ’30s were the golden age for collecting artifacts. Professional curators and dealers sent […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

A Closer Look at the Mayer Collection

Decoding Animal Bronzes: Onagers and Oxen Bronze Plaque with Onager or Wild Ass Northern China, 8th–5th centuries BCE, H. 4.95 […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Marie Nicole Pareja, Philip P. Betancourt, Vili Apostolakou, Thomas M. Brogan and Andrew J. Koh

Aegean Dyes: Unearthing the Colors of Ancient Minoan Textiles

Bronze Age Clothing in Minoan Crete was multicolored and made from intricately woven textiles. Until now, our only evidence related […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Ilisa Barbash

Kalahari Adventures: Bob Dyson's Travels in Africa

BEFORE DR. ROBERT H. DYSON, JR. became Williams Director of the Penn Museum in 1981, he established himself as an […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Charlotte Rose

Childbirth Magic: Deciphering Bed Figurines from Ancient Egypt

Ancient Egyptians welcomed childbirth with ritual, using medico-magical spells, amulets, and various other objects to help ensure the survival of […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Marie-Claude Boileau and Katherine M. Moore

Highschoolers Take Over the CAAM Labs: In the Labs

For two weeks last summer, the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM) and the Museum’s Learning Programs Department […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

Global Classroom: News from Learning Programs

Mayor Speaks at Festival of International Students On October 14, 2016, the Penn Museum continued its 47-year tradition of hosting […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Grant Frame

Remembering Erle Verdun Leichty, 1933–2016: Portriat

Doctor Erle Verdun Leichty, Curator Emeritus of the Babylonian Section of the Penn Museum, Clark Research Professor Emeritus of Assyriology […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Banana Recipes from West Africa,1937: From the Archives

Henry Usher Hall (1876–1944), Curator of the General Ethnology Section from 1915 to 1935, undertook two expeditions for the Penn […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

Member News

Loren Eiseley Society: “Behind the Scenes.” On November 9, Loren Eiseley Society members gathered for Behind the Scenes: Journey to […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 3

Meet Our Members – Matthew Storm: Member News

Matthew Storm is a member of the Director’s Council and the Loren Eiseley Society, and a Penn alumnus living in […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 2

By: Moritz Jansen

In the Labs – Spring 2016: Archaeometallurgy at the Penn Museum: Then and Now

Archaeometallurgy is the scientific investigation of the technology and provenance of ancient metals. The study of the production, processing, and […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 2

Member News: Meet Our Members: Ed and Pay Coyle GED05

New Galleries of the Ancient Middle East Previewed On June 2, members of the Expedition Circle and Loren Eiseley Society […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 2

Museum News – Spring 2016

New Acquisitions The American Section gratefully received 15 Pre-Columbian ceramic objects from the North Coast and Sierra of Peru, which […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 1

By: Jane Hickman

Stories from the Penn Museum: From the Editor

The Spring 2016 issue includes four articles related to the work of the Penn Museum. We open with “Secrets of […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 1

By: Julian Siggers

Renovation & Innovation: From the Director

This is a time of tremendous excitement and anticipation in the Penn Museum as we prepare to transform our keystone […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 1

By: Whittaker Schroder

Changing Perceptions about Warfare: Book News + Reviews

Embattled Bodies, Embattled Places: War in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica and The Andes By Andrew K. Scherer and John W. Verano, eds. […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 1

Meet Our Members: Member News

Isabella de la Houssaye is a member of the Penn Museum’s Loren Eiseley Society and serves on its Director’s Council. […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 1

Museum News

Architectural Team Selected for Harrison and Coxe Wings Renovation Project The Penn Museum is pleased to announce the appointment of […]

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Vol. 58 / No. 1

Looking Back

N0. 245 Caffee Arabe A young man and an old man sit on a bench while playing mancala in Cairo, […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 3

By: Jane Hickman

The Penn Museum and the Kingdom of Midas: From the Editor

This special expanded issue of Expedition was created to accompany The Golden Age of King Midas. This extraordinary exhibition—with objects […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 3

By: Julian Siggers

A Tradition of Discovery through Fieldwork: From the Director

In 1887, a group of Philadelphians, including University of Pennsylvania Provost William Pepper, established the Penn Museum to house artifacts […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 3

Stewarding Collections in Times of Change: In the Galleries

The current academic year has seen the launch of an exciting period of renovations and updates for the Penn Museum […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 3

Meet Our Members – Winter 2015: John Medveckis, PAR90

John Medveckis, member of the Director’s Council and former Overseer, is co-chair of the upcoming gala celebrating The Golden Age […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 3

Museum News – Winter 2015

Museum Objects Travel the World The Penn Museum has an active loans program, sending objects from the collection to museums […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 2

Meet Our Members: Arthur J. Burke, Esq. C89, W89

Art Burke, a member of the Loren Eiseley Society, recently shared with us some of his reasons for being involved […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 2

By: Alessandro Pezzati

The First Century of the Harrison Rotunda: From the Archives

The Harrison Rotunda, consisting of the Hall and the Auditorium, turns 100 this year. The iconic dome of the Penn […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 1

Meet Our Members: Mark P. Curchack, Ph.D., Pand Peggy L. Curchack

Peggy and Mark Curchack have been Penn Museum members for over thirty years and Mark has served as a Museum […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 1

Students to Analyze 5,000 Year Old Skeleton: In the Labs

Last May, the Penn Museum identified an early burial from the Ubaid period at Ur, dated to ca. 4500 BCE. […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 1

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Jessie Tarbox Beals: From the Archives

In January 1905, photographer Jessie Tarbox Beals stopped at the Penn Museum on a tour of East Coast cities. She […]

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Vol. 57 / No. 1

Museum News

Curator Receives AIA Gold Medal On January 9, 2015, Dr. C. Brian Rose, the Penn Museum’s Ferry Curator-in-Charge of the […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

By: Jane Hickman

A Research Institution: From the Editor

The Penn Museum’s 2013–2020 Strategic Plan includes four foundational pillars: research, teaching, collections stewardship, and public engagement. In addition to […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

By: Julian Siggers

Connections that Last a Lifetime: From the Director

We frequently hear from people who first encountered the Penn Museum during the formative years of their childhood or adolescence. […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

By: Steve Tinney

New CAAM Labs and Classrooms Open for Fall Semester: From the Deputy Director

When students swipe their Penncards at the blue door and walk down the corridor to the Penn Museum’s newly reopened […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

Around the World

The Penn Museum’s curators, staff, and consulting scholars conduct research around the world. Read on for a small sampling of […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

From Homework to Fieldwork: Summer 2014 Student Projects: Around the World

The Penn Museum encourages and supports student research projects. In 2014, we funded 35 students (23 graduate students, 12 undergraduate […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

By: Richard M. Leventhal and Brian I. Daniels

Saving Syria’s Cultural Heritage: Past/Present

The news from Syria is unbearable. Over 200,000 Syrians have been killed and the country’s population has been largely displaced. […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

By: Lucy Fowler Williams

The Excavations at Sitio Conte: Beneath the Surface

The Penn Museum’s excavations at Sitio Conte began in 1940 with an invitation from private landowner, Miguel Conte. Since discovering […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

By: Lynn Grant

A Treasure Among the Sherds: Beneath the Surface

The treatments done by Penn Museum conservators usually relate to a current exhibition or loan. For our interns, however, we […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

The Art of Archaeology: From the Archives

The 1839 invention of photography was revolutionary, and instantly useful to archaeologists, changing the nature of documenting the past. Yet […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 3

Meet Our Members: David A. Schwartz, M.D.

David A. Schwartz, M.D., currently residing in Atlanta, Georgia, has been a member of the Penn Museum for three years […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 1

Museum Awards April – 2014: Penn Museum Honors Two Leaders

The Penn Museum is pleased to announce the award of its Lucy Wharton Drexel Medal to Jeremy A. Sabloff, Ph.D., […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 1

By: Josef Wegner

Abydos and the Penn Museum

Abydos in southern Egypt is one of the great sites of ancient Egyptian civilization. At the dawn of Egyptian history, […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 1

By: Alessandro Pezzati

From the Archives: The Discovery of the Palace of Merenptah at Memphis

Memphis, Egypt was one of the largest cities of antiquity. According to tradition, it was founded by the mythical king […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 1

Member News – April 2014: Major New Initiatives Building Transformation: A Strategic Plan for the Penn Museum 2013-2020

In the Fall 2013 issue of Expedition, Williams Director Julian Siggers outlined the Penn Museum’s new mission statement—The Penn Museum […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 1

New Acquisitions April – 2014: Japanese Paintings Added to Collection

At its December 2013 meeting, the Penn Museum’s Acquisitions Committee considered donations of 12 groups of objects, 3 collections of […]

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Vol. 56 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic April – 2014

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Vol. 55 / No. 3

In the Galleries – Winter 2013

Native American Voices: The People –Here and Now Leave preconceptions behind and discover a living tapestry of Nations with distinct […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 3

By: Suzan Shown Harjo

Threatened and Damaged: Protecting Sacred Places

Eagles disappear into the sun surrounded by light from the face of Creation then scream their way home with burning […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 3

By: C. Maxx Stevens

Seeing One’s Creative Process

Artist and professor C. Maxx Stevens examines her method of visual storytelling. Because objects can “speak” in the same way […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 3

By: Eric W. Schnittke

Looking Back – December 2013

Editor’s note: This photograph and the story behind it recall an era of violence when Native American voices were silenced. […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

In the Galleries – Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the War Poster

Propaganda has long been used to mobilize people in times of war. Black Bodies in Propaganda: The Art of the […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Beebe Bahrami

Past/Present – Overwhelmed by Time

A big part of the magic of visiting a museum or archaeological site is the feeling of time shifting, of […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Jane Hickman

From the Editor – A New Expedition

As you read through this issue of Expedition, you will see many changes in design as well as in content. […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Julian Siggers

Telling the Human Story: From the Director

It has now been a year since I took up the post of Williams Director here at the Penn Museum—a […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Gareth Darbyshire and Gabriel H. Pizzorno

Taming the Beast: The Digital Gordion Mapping Project

Gordion, in central Turkey, is the largest and longest-running of the Penn Museum’s many excavation projects. An ancient site of […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

Around the World

Around the World Every year, the Penn Museum’s curators and staff conduct research around the world. Read on for a […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Kate R. Pourshariati

Expedition to the Amazon: The First Documentary Film with Sound

For almost 80 years, the 49-minute film Matto Grosso: The Great Brazilian Wilderness lay in the Penn Museum Archives, waiting […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Tukufu Zuberi

Art During Wartime: Recruitment of Black Soldiers from the U.S. Civil War through African Independence Movements

Military posters are designed to be highly visible in public spaces. They become iconic images for those who remember wars […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

Postscript – November 2013

Matto Grosso’s path to obscurity may have been set by several factors: it was not feature length, it was not […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Paul Mitchell

Nature or Nurture?

Beyond Human Nature: How Culture and Experience Shape the Human Mind by Jesse Prinz (New York: Norton, 2012). 416 pp., […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Thomas J. Hardy

An Introduction to the Inca Empire

The Incas by Craig Morris and Adriana von Hagan (New York: Thames & Hudson Inc., 2012). 256 pp., 189 illustrations […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: W. B. Hafford

Archaeology in the Digital Age: Creating an Online Research Tool for the Ancient City of Ur

One of the first true cities in the world and probably the site described in the Bible as the home […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

By: Richard Hodges

Rodney Young, his noblesse oblige, and the OSS in Greece

Classical Spies: America n Archaeologists with the OSS in World War II Greece by Susan Heuck Allen (Ann Arbor: University […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Winter 2013

Recent Acquisitions The Penn Museum recently acquired a small-scale reproduction of a Roman barge, which replicates one of Caligula’s boats […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 1

By: Julian Siggers

From the Director – Crossroads of History: Beth Shean, Israel

My first glimpse of Beth Shean occurred in the 1990s. I was a graduate student at the University of Toronto […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 1

By: Jane Hickman

Treasure Beneath the Floor

Although the Monastery of Lady Mary is best known for its fine mosaics, another discovery awaited Fitzgerald’s team as they […]

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Vol. 55 / No. 1

By: Jordan Pickett

Domestic Devotions in Late Antique Beth Shean

A variety of objects found in the residential quarter testify to the expression of the Christian religious identity of the […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

An Angu Funeral in New Guinea

Born in 1919, Ward Goodenough is a world-renowned linguist and anthropologist, who has studied the connection between language and culture […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati, Jane Hickman and Alexandra Fleischman

A Brief History of the Penn Museum

The founding of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology was part of the great wave of institution-building […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Big Game at the Museum

Natural history specimens collected by Arthur Donaldson Smith were on display in 1898 in the University Library, now the Fine […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Moroccan Pottery in the African Collection

Talcott Williams, one of the early officers of the Museum, was an editor of the Philadelphia Press for 30 years. […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

William Farabee, Martyr to Science

William Curtis Farabee (1865–1925) is one of the great forgotten American explorers and anthropologists. He obtained his Ph.D. from Harvard […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 2

By: Lucy Fowler Williams

The Ghost of a Courageous Adventurer

Tlingit art holds Tlingit histories and, as Louis Shotridge insisted, the native point of view enables us to understand its […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 2

Communicating the Thrill of Discovery: An interview with Julian Siggers

Expedition sat down with Julian Siggers during his second week as Williams Director of the Penn Museum. Below are excerpts […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 2

By: Paul Mitchell

Analyzing Race: Book News & Reviews

Race? Debunking a Scientific Myth by Ian Tattersall and Rob DeSalle (College Station, Texas: Texas A&M University Press, 2011). 256 pp., […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 2

By: John H. Walker

Hidden Earthworks in the Forests of the Bolivian Amazon

The Andes and the coast of Peru are famous for spectacular places and things: the mountaintop city of Machu Picchu, […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Fall 2012: People, Places, Projects

New Collections Study Room Opens In March 2012, the Museum opened a new facility as part of an initiative to […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 2

By: Peter Cobb

The Father of American Archaeological Photography: Book News & Reviews

John Henry Haynes: A Photographer and Archaeologist in the Ottoman Empire 1881–1900 by Robert G. Ousterhout (Istanbul: Kayık Yayıncılık; Hawick, […]

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Vol. 54 / No. 1

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Looking Back

Alfred P. Maudslay (1850–1931) was a British explorer credited with the first systematic excavations of Maya ruins. Between 1881 and 1894 […]

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Collection Notes- The Museum’s Online Searchable Database

Penn museum is making information about its collections more accessible than ever before with the launch of a new online database feature […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 3

By: Donald White

A View of the Horse from the Classical Perspective: The Penn Museum Collection

Equus caballus is handsomely stabled in the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. From the Chinese Rotunda’s masterpiece […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Elizabeth Fentress, Caroline Goodson and Marco Maiuro

Wine, Slaves, and the Emperor at Villa Magna

Writing to his tutor Fronto in about AD 141, the future emperor Marcus Aurelius describes his stay at the imperial […]

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This kite photograph of Pievina includes students for scale. Major buildings and other features are labeled.

Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Kim Bowes, Mariaelena Ghisleni, Cam Grey and Emanuele Vaccaro

Excavating the Roman Peasant

We view the Roman world through the eyes of the wealthy—the lettered elite who penned ancient history and literature, and […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

The Hungry Archaeologist – Anagni

Anagni’s food traditions are those of the Ciociaria region, the market gardens for Rome. The most famous local dish is […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Summer 2011: People, Places, Projects

Landmark Symposium Held at the Penn Museum On March 19, 2011, the Penn Museum held a public symposium, Reconfiguring the […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Kim Bowes

Reimagining Ancient Italy: New Directions in Italian Archaeology: From the Guest Editor

In the modern imagination, Italy is a land of rolling vineyards, dramatic coastal vistas, and of course, extraordinary food— infinite […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Richard Hodges

Penn Museum and Italy: From the Director

The archaeology of Italy, the bel paese or beautiful country, has long held a deep attraction for archaeologists and members […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Patrizio Pensabene and Enrico Gallocchio

The Hungry Archaeologist – Piazza Armerina

In Piazza Armerina, one should not miss the many pastry shops, where Sicilian specialties such as cannoli and cassate are […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Giuliano Volpe

The Hungry Archaeologist – Daunia

Daunia’s cuisine is like its archaeology, close to the land, and many dishes are based on peasant food that varies […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Giuliano Volpe

Rediscovering the Heel: Archaeology and History in Northern Apulia

Daunia, the ancient territory that occupied the modern province of Foggia in northen Puglia, is extraordinarily rich in cultural heritage. […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 2

By: Patrizio Pensabene and Enrico Gallocchio

The Villa del Casale of Piazza Armerina

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Vol. 53 / No. 1

By: Frank G. Matero and C. Brian Rose

Resurrecting Gordion: Preserving Turkey’s Phrygian Capital

Archaeology and heritage conservation have become important partners in the excavation, preservation, and display of archaeological sites around the world. […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 1

By: Brian Spooner

Afghanistan’s War Experience

Afghanistan entered history in 1747. Nadir Shah, the Iranian ruler of the region, had been assassinated in Meshed (now northeastern […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 1

By: Brian Spooner

Afghan Wars, Oriental Carpets, and Globalization

The Afghan war rugs on exhibit at the Penn Museum from April 30 to July 31, 2011, raise a number […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 1

By: Richard Hodges

Penn Museum and Afghanistan: From the Director

Penn Museum has long had a part in revealing Afghan archaeological history. In 1953, at Director Froelich Rainey’s instigation, Rodney […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 1

By: Alessandro Pezzati

Jim Thompson, the Thai Silk King: From the Archive

Younger generations may not know Jim Thompson (1906-1967?), but in the 1950s and 1960s he was famous throughout the world […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 1

By: Jean MacIntosh Turfa

Telmu and Petrui: A Rediscovered Romance?: What in the World?

Some rare evidence for social change in ancient Etruria reposes in the Penn Museum’s Mediterranean Section, in two large ovoid […]

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Vol. 53 / No. 1

By: Lucy Fowler Williams

Guerilla Fashion: Textiles in Motion Push Change in Indian Art: From the Field

Vol. 52 / No. 3

By: Mandy Chan

Before the Silk Road: Book News & Reviews

The Prehistory of the Silk Road by E. E. Kuzmina. Victor H. Mair, ed. (Philadelphia, PA: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2007). […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Summer 2010: People, Places, Projects

Egyptologist David Silverman Honored in Cairo A Festschrift celebration honoring the lifetime achievements of Dr. David Silverman was held in […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 2

By: Jane Kauer

The World of Soy: Book News & Reviews

The World of Soy edited by Christine M. Du Bois, Chee-Beng Tan, and Sidney Mintz (Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 2

By: Erin Jensen and Jennifer Reifsteck

Summer in the City: Around the Museum

Squeals of laughter fill the air. Campers swarm their counselors asking them to sign their t-shirts. Art projects are taken […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 2

By: Thanik Lertcharnrit

An Early Ivory Bracelet from Central Thailand: From the Field

A piece of an ancient ivory bracelet was recently discovered during the fourth excavation season at the Late Prehistoric/ Early Historic […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 2

By: Heather Hughes

A Hidden Gem at the Penn Museum: What in the World

Thanks to the voracious collecting habits of Maxwell Sommerville (1829–1904), the Penn Museum boasts an impressive collection of engraved gems. The former […]

The Middle Mekong Archaeological Project (MMAP), a pioneering archaeological project led by Penn Museum staff member Dr. Joyce White, wrapped […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

By: Gregory L. Possehl

Ernest J. H. Mackay and the Penn Museum: Research Notes

In 2008, I published an article in Expedition on Penn’s first professor of Sanskrit, W. Norman Brown (1892–1975), and his […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

By: Richard Hodges

Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle, 15 July 1941–16 January 2010: From the Director

The recent deaths of Birthe Kjølbye-Biddle and William R. Coe have robbed the Museum of two of its most distinguished […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

By: David Gilman Romano and Mary E. Voyatzis

Excavating at the Birthplace of Zeus: The Mt. Lykaion Excavation and Survey Project

In the 3rd century BCE, the Greek poet Callimachus wrote a Hymn to Zeus asking the ancient and most powerful […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

By: Jane Hickman

From the Editor – Spring 2010

The spring 2010 issue of Expedition takes you from Greece to India to Vietnam. Our first feature describes an on-going […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

By: Robert Sharer

Remembering Bill Coe (1926-2009): Portrait

Dr. William R. Coe, Curator Emeritus of the American Section and Professor Emeritus in the Anthropology Department, was something of […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2010: People, Places, Projects

George Bass Awarded Lucy Wharton Drexel Medal On Friday, March 26, 2010, the Penn Museum was proud to present its […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

By: Ayşe Gursan-Salzmann and Evin H. Erder

A Conservation Management Plan for Preserving Gordion and Its Environs: Field Notes

In 1950 a Penn Museum team under Rodney Young’s direction began excavations at the site of Gordion in central Turkey, […]

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Vol. 52 / No. 1

By: Richard Hodges

Off the Beaten Path in England and Spain: Book News & Reviews

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Vol. 51 / No. 2

By: Ann Blair Brownlee

His Golden Touch: The Gordion Drawings of Piet de Jong

In 1957, the renowned archaeological illustrator, Piet de Jong (1887–1967), made his way to Gordion. Well known for his work […]

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Vol. 51 / No. 1

By: Allan Meyers

Bullfights in Mayaland: How Rural Yucatecans Reinvented "Death in the Afternoon"

The “lover of the bullfight,” Ernest Hemingway once observed, is “one who has this sense of the tragedy and ritual […]

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Vol. 51 / No. 1

By: Judith A. Storniolo

Out of the Past and Into the Night: Ancient Mythical Dwarfs in Modern Yucatan

In his book, The Maya’s Own Words, Thomas Ballantine Irving translates a passage in the Popol Vuh, the creation myth […]

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Vol. 51 / No. 1

By: Elin C. Danien

Painted Metaphors: Politics and Pottery of the Ancient Maya

Pottery and Politics of the Ancient Maya features a unique collection of Maya artifacts, including the Chama polychrome ceramic cylinders, […]

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Vol. 51 / No. 1

By: Sarah Kurnick

Crossing Boundaries: Maya Censers from the Guatemala Highlands

The ancient Maya universe consists of three realms—the earth, the sky, and the Underworld. Rather than three distinct domains, these […]

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Vol. 51 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2009: Young Friends Offer Fresh Perspective On Museum’s Collections And Research

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Vol. 50 / No. 2

By: Allison Lewis

Conservator Education at the Museum: An Intern’s Experience: Conservation Notes

Conservators are responsible for the care of museum collections, making sure that objects are stored, transported, handled, studied, and exhibited […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 2

By: Louise Krasniewicz

Veni, Vidi, Vici: Taking a Chance on Chance

In the popular video slot machine called “Pompeii,” a chorus of male voices chants, “Veni, Vidi, Vici,” when gold coins consecutively […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: James R. Mathieu

From the Editor – Spring 2008

Welcome to the first issue of Expedition’s 50th volume! Once again, we present three feature articles—two on historical archaeological research […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2008: People, Places, Projects

International Classroom Receives Subaru Grant Penn Museum’s International Classroom (IC) program has received a $4,975 grant from the Subaru of […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Janet Monge and Alan Mann

Surviving: A Lightning Rod: Exhibit Notes

“The exhibition promises to break new ground as the first of its kind to address aspects of human evolution in […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Debbie Tsarfati

Bringing Excitement to the Classroom: A Sabbatical at the Museum: Class Notes

“Why do we have to learn this?” and “How will I ever use this in my life?” Each September new […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Richard Hodges

Giving to the Museum: From the Director

Philanthropic giving is at the heart of modern American museums—it exists on a scale that makes a European blush with […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

Meet the New Director: Richard Hodges, The Williams Director

On October 1, 2007, Penn Museum welcomed its new Williams Director, Dr. Richard Hodges, O.B.E. His archaeological career began in […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Alex Pezzati

Charles R. Sheeler, Jr.: A Famous Artist Photographs the Museum: Charles R. Sheeler, Jr.: A Famous Artist Photographs the Museum

Charles R. Sheeler, jr. (1883–1965), a pioneer of American modernism, was one of the most important American artists and photographers […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Amelia Rosenberg Weinreb

Cuba: The Accidental Revolution: Film News & Reviews - Spring 2008

Cuba: The Accidental Revolution Written and Directed by Ray Burley. (Produced by CBC’s The Nature of Things, 2006). 90 min, color, […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Lynn Grant

What Do You Think of That?: Museum Staffers Blog about Museums: Conservation Notes

Most of us who work in museums usually entered the field because of a love for museums. One of the […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Ann Blair Brownlee and David B. Brownlee

Penn in the World: Twelve Decades at the University of Pennsylvania Museum: Exhibit Notes

In the fall of 2006, we assembled a marvelously diverse group of undergraduate and graduate students from the Departments of […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Benjamin W. Porter and Athna May Porter

“Taking in the Waters” at LaDuke Hot Springs Resort: Early 20th Century Medical Tourism in Montana

Hot Springs Found all over the world, on land and under the ocean, hot springs are wells of geothermal-heated groundwater. […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: David R. Starbuck

The “Massacre” at Fort William Henry: History Archaeology, and Re-enactement

The clash of cultures on the colonial frontier of 18th century America pitted British against French and Indian against Indian, creating […]

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Vol. 50 / No. 1

By: Amelia Rosenberg Weinreb

Cuba in the Shadow of Change: Daily Life in the Twilight of the Revolution

Cuba’s unique anachronisms—crumbling colonial architecture, vintage American cars, and the same Commander-in-Chief for nearly half a century—hold an allure for […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

By: Abigail Seldin, Herbert Poepoe, Nanibaa Beck and Sonya Ashley

Building Bridges with “Native Voices”: Reflections on the REU-NSF Program, 2005-2007: Class Notes

In 2003 the National Science Foundation (NSF) awarded Jeremy A. Sabloff, then Williams Director of the Penn Museum, and Janet […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

C. Brian Rose: Curator-in-Charge, Mediterranean Section: Meet the Curators

The spark that led to a career in the archaeology of the Mediterranean world for C. Brian Rose, Curator-in-Charge of […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

By: Richard Hodges

My First Encounter with Philadelphia: From the Director

Philadelphia and the Penn Museum have long held a special place in my heart. In 1980, renowned British archaeologist Colin […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

By: Lucy Fowler Williams, Isabel C. Gonzales and Shawn Tafoya

WaHa-belash adi Kwan tsáawä / Butterflies and Blue Rain: The Language of Contemporary Eastern Pueblo Embroidery

Pueblo people of the American Southwest say that as long as there is Pueblo religion there will be handmade cloth. […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

By: Elizabeth G. Hamilton

Adventures in Experimental Smelting: Iron the Old-fashioned Way

It was a perfect October day to play with fire. The sun shone brightly on the barnyard of the Peters […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

By: Andrew L. Goldman

From Phrygian Capital to Rural Fort: New Evidence for the Roman Military at Gordion, Turkey

At the age of 20, Tritus, the son of Bato, joined the Roman army as a soldier of the VII […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

Museum Mosaic – Winter 2007: People, Places, Projects

American Section Receives IMLS Grant The Museum’s American Section has received a Museums for America grant for $130,000 from the […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 3

By: Jennifer Houser Wegner

From Fiction to Festchrift: Book News & Reviews

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran (New York: Crown, 2007). 480 pp., 1 map, 1 family tree, cloth, $24.95, ISBN 978-0-307-38146-0. Reviewed by Jennifer Houser Wegner, Research […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Aubrey Baadsgaard

Imaging Ur’s Sacrificial Dead: An Archaeological CAT Scan: Science & Archaeology

Some 4,600 years ago processions of royal courtiers—including soldiers, musicians, ladies-in-waiting, ox- cart and chariot drivers, and animal grooms—accompanied their […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Gareth Darbyshire

Keith DeVries: Associate Curator Emeritus, Mediterranean Section: Portrait

Keith Devries, Associate Curator Emeritus in the Mediterranean Section, passed away at the age of 69 on July 16, 2006, […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

Barry L. Eichler: Associate Curator-in-Charge, Babylonian Section: Meet the Curators

A fascination with the human condition and the problems that society attempts to solve is the driving force behind the […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Holly Pittman

From the Deputy Director for Academic Programs – Summer 2007

For more than a century a core mission of the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has been […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Janet Chrzan

Dreaming of Tuscany: Pursuing the Anthropology of Culinary Tourism

If you were to think of a place you have visited, especially a well-known tourist destination like San Francisco or […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: George F. Bass

Nautical Archaeology: From Its Beginnings at Penn to Today's INA

It all began nearly half a century ago at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. In 1959, […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Daniel A. Meyer and Jason Roe

A Brief Culture History of the Eastern Slope

During the last Ice Age the glaciers in west-central Alberta reached their maximum extent about 20,000 years ago, forming a […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Daniel A. Meyer and Jason Roe

Archaeology Along Canada’s Rocky Mountain Eastern Slopes: Excavations at the Upper Lovett Campsite, Alberta

Canada’s rocky mountains and the foothills of the Eastern Slopes are, archaeologically speaking, among the least-known areas in North America. […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: James R. Mathieu

From the Editor – Summer 2007

Anthropology is a very broad field, encompassing the subfields of archaeology, biological anthropology, cultural anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. In this […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Matt Tomlinson

Reversing Anthropology: Book News & Reviews

Reverse Anthropology: Indigenous Analysis of Social and Environmental Relations in New Guinea by Stuart Kirsch (Palo Alto, CA: Stanford University Press, […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Philip Lieberman and Robert McCarthy

Tracking the Evolution of Language and Speech: Comparing Vocal Tracts to Identify Speech Capabilities

In 1973 Theodosius Dobzhansky wrote that “nothing in biology makes sense except in the light of evolution.” This dictum applies […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

By: Anne Schiller

Borneo Families in this Life and the Next: Adherents of Kaharingan among the Nagaju Dayaks

After days of hard travel on a weather-beaten boat named Font of Prosperity, I was happy to arrive at the […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Summer 2007: People, Places, Projects

International Classroom Shines Again This spring archaeologists from the Museum’s International Classroom—a creative program of the Education Department —participated in […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: Jan Olofsson and Egil Josefson

The Development of Eketorp Fort

Eketorp Fort—a prehistoric ring fort—was completely excavated between 1964 and 1974. The first fort (Eketorp I) was built during the […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: Stephen Batiuk and Mitchell S. Rothman

What Defines the ETC?

ETC cultures were first identified on the basis of their pottery in the Transcaucasus area between the Kura and Araxes […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: Gregory L. Possehl

The Middle Asian Interaction Sphere: Research Notes

In the early 1920s Sir John Marshall’s investigations of the ancient cities of Mohenjo-daro and Harappa (now located in Pakistan) […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: Chris Knutson

The “Tired Stones” of Lake Titicaca: Field Experience

On the morning of August 7, 2002, my colleagues and I crossed the border from Bolivia into Peru. Just past […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2007: People, Places, Projects

Tlingit Basketmaker And Weaver Visits Museum On December 6, 2006, nationally renowned Tlingit basketmaker and weaver Teri Rofkar from Sitka, […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

Meet the New Board Chair: Michael J. Kowalski: Chairman of the Museum's Board of Overseers

Penn museum welcomed Michael J. Kowalski as Chairman of the Museum Board of Overseers on July 1, 2006. Kowalski graduated […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

Cantinflas: The Comedian and Trickster from Mexico: From the Archives

The entry, “Cantinflas, the Mexican comedian, in the Middle American Gallery, 1961,” catches one’s eye in the Museum’s photographic catalog. […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: Jeremy A. Sabloff

From the Director – Spring 2007

As Penn Museum celebrates its 120th year of activity, we still take seriously our original trifold mission of cutting-edge archaeological […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: James R. Mathieu

From the Editor – Spring 2007

In this first issue of Expedition for 2007 we are excited to present feature articles highlighting a wide variety of […]

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Vol. 49 / No. 1

By: Ivor Jankovic and Ivor Karavanic

Digging Up Neandertals at Mujina Pećina?: A Mousterian Cave Site in Croatia

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Vol. 48 / No. 3

By: Julia Lawson

The Resurrection of Seven Clay Coffins from Nippur: Conservation Notes

The Mesopotamian clay coffins from Nippur in the Penn Museum’s Near East Section have a long and varied history. They […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Summer 2006: People, Places, Projects

Treasures . . . From The Silk Road To The Santa Fe Trail Following its spectacularly successful premier in 2005, […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Kei Yamamoto

Currelly’s Dig House

When Currelly began work at South Abydos in January 1903, Petrie’s main camp was located about 3 km away in […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Stine Rossel

A Tale of the Bones: Animal Use in the Temple and Town of Wah-Sut

Many sources provide evidence of animal use in ancient Egypt. For example, the Egyptians were meticulous in depicting their natural […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Nicholas S. Picardo

Egypt’s Well-to-Do: Elite Mansions in the Town of Wah-Sut

Archaeologists study settlements and households to understand how ancient people organized themselves and how social relationships played out through daily […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Josef Wegner

Echoes of Power: The Mayor's House of Ancient Wah-Sut

Throughout history, the economic, religious, and social life of settlements has centered on special buildings such as temples, churches, post […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Josef Wegner

Beautiful-Is-The-KA

Extensively excavated since 1994, the mortuary temple of Senwosret III housed a limestone cult building at its core. Its central […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Josef Wegner

Abydos And The Cult Of Osiris

Ancient Abydos (Abdju) played a lengthy and important role in the development of Egyptian civilization. Located 500 km south of […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Vanessa Smith

Food Fit for the the Soul of a Pharaoh: The Mortuary Temple's Bakeries and Breweries

Egyptian mortuary temples were more than just religious centers. They also served as the local representative of the state, combining […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Dawn McCormack

Borrowed Legacy: Royal Tombs S9 and S10 at South Abydos

After the 12th Dynasty reigns of Senwsoret III (1878–1841 BCE) and Amenemhet III (1858–1812 BCE) the political and economic power […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Josef Wegner

One Pharaoh, Two Tombs

Most Egyptian pharaohs possessed only a single tomb, leaving little doubt as to where they were buried. But Senwosret III […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: James R. Mathieu

From the Editor – Summer 2006

Welcome to Expedition’s special issue on Egyptology! Here’s a detailed look at the Museum’s involvement in the archaeology of ancient […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Josef Wegner

Beneath the Mountain-of-Anubis: Ancient Egypt's First Hidden Royal Tomb

Ancient peoples throughout the world had sophisticated understandings of their landscape. Specific elements, such as mountains, were often identified as […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Richard M. Leventhal

The Penn Compact and Penn Museum: From the Director

President Amy Gutmann’s vision for the University of Pennsylvania — “the Penn Compact”—articulates a three-part program focused upon the main […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 2

By: Jennifer Houser Wegner

David Randall-MacIver: Explorer of Abydos and Curator of The Egyptian Section

As a young man of 26, the British-born archaeologist and anthropologist David Randall-MacIver began his career working at Abydos as […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

Rebecca Huss-Ashmore, Associate Curator-in-Charge, Physical Anthropology Section: Meet the Curators

Rebecca Huss-Ashmore, Associate Curator-inCharge of Penn Museum’s Physical Anthropology Section, has traveled nearly full circle in her career. As an […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Richard M. Leventhal

Vine Deloria, Jr. (1933–2005): From the Director

In this issue I want to take a break from discussing the Penn Museum and note the passing of an […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: James R. Mathieu

From the Editor – Spring 2006

Welcome to the first issue of Expedition for 2006! We are pleased to present an eclectic issue covering a wide […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Janet Chrzan

Why Study Culinary Tourism?: Answers for a Healthy Life: Research Notes

The first time I heard about the academic study of tourism—an undergraduate course the University of California at Berkeley entitled […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Olivia Given and Shawn Hyla

Forging Partnerships in Laos: Archaeological Survey Using Mobile GIS: Research Notes

Peoples living in mainland Southeast Asia during the middle Holocene (ca. 6000 – 2000 BC) made some profound subsistence and […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Deborah I. Olszewski and Maysoon al-Nahar

When Stone Is More Than Stone: Clues to Prehistoric Resource Use in Jordan

Scattered Across the world on the surface and in buried deposits are billions of prehistoric stone artifacts the most durable […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Beebe Bahrami

Bear Daughter: Book News & Reviews

Bear Daughter by Judith Berman (New York: Ace Books, 2005). 422 pp., paper $16.00 ISBN 0441013228. Reviewed by Beebe Bahrami, a […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: James McClelland

In 1946, while most anthropologists were exercising their professional skills and curiosities in cultures far from home, Hortense Powdermaker took […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Elin C. Danien

Caroline Dosker: She Dusted the Mummies: Portrait

For many of us who knew her, Caroline Dosker’s death on June 26, 2005, marked the end of a more […]

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Vol. 48 / No. 1

By: Gregory L. Possehl

Shu-ilishu’s Cylinder Seal: What in the World

Some Years Ago, while perusing the great Assyriologist A. Leo Oppenheim’s Ancient Mesopotamia: Portrait of a Dead Civilization, I found […]

Caves have been used as sacred spaces for thousands of years throughout the world. Nowhere is this better illustrated than […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 3

By: Jean Clottes

What Did Ice Age People Do in the Deep Caves?

In our modern Western world, deep caves have lost their supernatural aura, now serving primarily as areas for sport and […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 3

By: Graeme Barker

Burial Rituals of Prehistoric Forager-Farmers: The Neolithic Cemeteries of Niah Cave, Sarawak

One of the largest and most varied prehistoric cemeteries in Southeast Asia was discovered in the late 1950s in the […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 3

By: Mark Aldenderfer

Caves as Sacred Places on the Tibetan Plateau

Although most of us think of Tibet as a high plateau riven by high mountain chains wide open to the […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 3

By: Elin C. Danien

A Ritual Vessel in a Maya Cave: Chocolate-Loving Monkeys and Humans: What in the World

Caves in the Alta Verapaz region of Guatemala were frequently used for rituals and burials by the ancient Maya. This cylindrical […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 3

By: Alessandro Pezzati

HAROLD L. DIBBLE, Curator-in-Charge of the European Archaeology Section at the Museum, has been fascinated with stone tools and archaeology […]

The Sea Monster hat is a conical wooden hat with the sea monster crest (Gunakadeit), carved by Augustus Bean. The […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 2

By: Robert W. Preucel and Lucy Fowler Williams

The Centennial Potlatch

On June 2004, Harold Jacobs, the cultural resource specialist of the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 2

By: Michael D. Danti

Returning to Iran: Research Notes

The Penn Museum has had a long and auspicious history of involvement in the archaeology of Iran. Since the Islamic Revolution in […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 2

By: William B. Hafford

Hanging in the Balance: Precision Weighing in Antiquity: Research Notes

Have you ever asked yourself, “Just how accurate was ancient weighing? Probably not, but that is what I ask myself […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 2

By: Xiuqin Zhou

Every wall demands attention and raises questions. Who built it and why? The Limes in southern Germany and Hadrian’s Wall in […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 1

By: James R. Mathieu

From the Editor – Spring 2005

Welcome to another issue of Expedition. In the following pages you will read about the western highlands of Guatemala and […]

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Vol. 47 / No. 1

By: Ann Blair Brownlee

What Was There Before the Museum?

It was a “wretched stretch of land” according to Dr. William Pepper’s biography. “One gray March days, in 1894, Dry. […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 2

By: Brenda J. Bowser

The Amazonian House: A Place of Women's Politics, Pottery, and Prestige

Dusk was falling in the Amazonian house. Two men sat silently. The host was dressed for war, his face painted […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 3

By: Donald White

Scores from a 2002 standardized Reading Proficiency Test for fourth graders surprised the principal of Wensleydale Elementary School (pseudonym). Her […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 3

By: Alma Gottlieb

Babies as Ancestors, Babies as Spirits: The Culture of Infancy in West Africa

Old Souls One Day I was sitting in the shaded compound of a Beng village in the West African rain […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 3

By: Paula L.W. Sabloff

The Value of ‘Culture’: An Example from Mongolia

Cultural Anthropology doesn’t get much respect from the public these days. Archaeology, on the other hand, remains beloved because it […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 3

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

Robert W. Preucel, Associate Curator, American Section: Meet the Curators

One of the many hats Robert W. Preucel wears as the Gregory Annenberg Weingarten Associate Curator of North America is […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 3

By: Gulbun O'Connor

William Davenport, Curator Emeritus, Oceanian Section: Portrait

William Davenport Died on March 12, 2004, in Philadelphia. He was a great teacher and friend, and after all these […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 3

By: James R. Mathieu

From the Editor – Winter 2004

The original impetus behind this special issue on Cultural Anthropology came from my predecessor as editor, Beebe Bahrami. As a […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 2

By: Alexandra Mack

The Multiple Landscapes of Vijayanagara: From the Mythic and the Ritual to the Kingly and the Common

Vijayangara, The Capital of an empire that flourished in southern India from the 14th to the 16th centuries AD, has been […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 2

By: Rosemary A. Joyce

Unprecedented Projects: The Birth of Mesoamerican Pyramids

In 1519, The first Europeans to visit Tenochtitlan saw a massive pyramid supporting twin temples looming over the capital city […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 2

By: Phoebe Resnick

On JULY 1, 2004, a new era at the Penn Museum began when Richard M. Leventhal, noted Mesoamerican scholar, officinally assumed […]

Hopitutskwa—Hopi Land—encompasses everywhere the Hopi people and their ancestors traveled, lived, and were buried during the long migration from the […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Alex Pezzati

Goldberg Variations: Archives Houses Over 16,000 Eclectic Images From Photographer Reuben Goldberg

The Archives is known for its collections of field notes and photographs documenting human cultures and archaeological remains around the world. […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Pam Kosty

Treasures from the Royal Tombs of Ur: Exhibit Notes

The Penn Museum’s nationally traveling exhibit returns home for a limited time this spring and summer, before traveling to additional […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Beebe Bahrami

Big Raven, Whale, little earth spirits, and a deity named Vahiyinin, are the actors in a tale a Siberian Koryak […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Elin C. Danien

On the Dilemma of a Horn: The Horned Shamans of West Mexico

In one of the Wall cases of the Penn Museum’s Mesoamerican Gallery two small figures curl and turn around each […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Kenneth Lymer

Shimmering Visions: Shamanistic Rock Art Images from the Republic of Kazakhstan

Between 1998-2000 I visited several important rock art sites within the Republic of Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan is one of several countries […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Edith Turner

Shamanism and Spirit

The word “Shaman” derives from saman, taken from the Tungus of Siberia where it means “spirit healer.” Shamanism, or working […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

Richard Zettler: Associate Curator-In-Charge, Near East Section: Meet the Curators

Ancient Mesopotamia is Richard Zettler’s research passions. As Associate Curator-in-Charge of the Near East Section, and Associate Professor of Anthropologic, […]

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Vol. 46 / No. 1

By: Dori Panzer

Eddie Lenihan: A Storyteller in Modern Ireland: Research Notes

Over a year ago, Eddie Lenihan was telling me about collecting stories on the fairy faith. He said, “Of all […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Alex Pezzati

Held in the Archives: Famous Jazz Age Artist’s Watercolors in UPM’s Archives: From the Archives

The old cliché that museums and archives are full of undiscovered treasures is true. Though one works constantly to identify and catalog […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: James R. Mathieu

Time Travel, Trebuchets, and Atlatls: Playing with the Past Through Experimental Archaeology: Science and Archaeology

Recently I had a chance to read Michael Crichon’s Timeline, a book recommended to me because it combined my interests […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Julia A. Hendon

In the House: Maya Nobility and Their Figurine-Whistles

Unspeakable dignity isolates the diminutive nobleman. Dominating the shelf, his regnant nature ignores the bric-a-brac obstructing his view. With arms […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: William Wierzbowski

Beaded Bags: The Persisting Power of Beadwork Traditions: What in the World

Since 1998, the American Section of the University of Pennsylvania Museum has been involved with the National Museum of the […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

Museum Mosaic – Winter 2003: Fare Project Gets Under Way; The Mediterranean Section Received an $18,000 Grant

If you walked by the Museum this last summer, this is what the upper courtyard looked like — a big […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Jack Murray

Gone Fishing: James Albert Marion, 1942-2003: Portrait

Getting to know Jim Marion was as easy as falling off your new two-wheeled bike for the first time, without […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Programs Department

Yarn Paintings of a Huichol Shaman: Exhibit Notes

A new exhibit at the Museum can come about in one of many ways. In the case of our new […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Deborah I. Olszewski

Donald White: Meet the Curators

Some of you know a thing or two about our featured museum curator, Donald White, because of his role in […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Beebe Bahrami

From the Editor

In this issue, we explore the Americas with features that reflect the changes in archaeology and anthropology from the nineteenth […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Jeremy A. Sabloff

From the Director

As I write this column, I can look out my office window and admire the beautiful Stoner Courtyard, now in […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 3

By: Robert W. Preucel, Lucy Fowler Williams, Stacey O. Espenlaub and Janet Monge

Out of Heaviness, Enlightenment: NAGPRA and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology

On September 29,2000, John Johnson of the Chugach Alaska Corporation arrived in Philadelphia to take formal possession of ancestral Eskimo […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 2

By: Beth D'Addono, Irene Good and Walda Metcalf

Feast for the Eyes: Ancient Music, Women Warriors, and Evolutionary Recipes: Book News & Reviews

Here is a question: If you were going to organize a three-hour dinner party according to the tempo of human […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 2

By: Jennifer Shadel Smith

By Land and by Sea: A Project Awash in Media Attention: A Project Awash in Media Attention

During the summer of 2000, in Sinop, Turkey, a hot noontime sun beat down on a small field crew consisting […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 2

By: Payson Sheets

Uncommonly Good Food Among Commoners: Growing and Consuming Food in Ancient Ceren

Much of northern Central America was devastated by a cataclysmic volcanic eruption, probably during the fourth century A.D. What had […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 2

By: Melford F. Smith

Afield in Abydos: Paleolithic Fieldwork Takes Shape: Field Experience

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Vol. 45 / No. 2

By: Lynn Grant

The Pharaohs Invade Venice: From Museum Galleries to the Palazzo Grassi–Via the Grand Canal: Conservation Notes

Early in 2002, the Palazzo Grassi, an exhibit venue in Venice, Italy, began arranging a major exhibit of Egyptian artifacts […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 2

By: Pamela L. Geller

Read My Lips…Ears, Nose, Head, and Teeth: Interpreting Permanent Bodily Ornaments: Research Notes

Tattooing and body piercing are nothing new. The puncturing and painting of skin have long been expressive forms of social communication […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Whitney Azoy

Masood’s Parade: Iconography, Revitilization, and Ethnicity in Afghanistan

What happens when, after two dozen years of chaos, a society begins to get its political act together? What values […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Mary M. Voigt

Celts at Gordion: The Late Hellenistic Settlement

In 278 B.C., a group of Celtic immigrants crossed from the Balkans into Anatolia, or present-day Turkey. The long journey […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Bettina Arnold

Landscapes of Ancestors: Early Iron Age Hillforts and Their Mound Cemeteries

The Celtic-Speaking early Iron Age peoples who lived in Southwest Germany, eastern France, and Switzerland north of the Alps did […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Beebe Bahrami

The Modern Celts of Northern Spain

When I Boarded the bus in Ferrol, Galicia, I asked the driver in Spanish, “Is this the bus to Cedeira?” […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Melissa Murphy

From Bare Bones to Mummified: Insights from an Inca Cemetery: Research Notes

Archaeologists moved quickly with the astonishing discovery of an Inca cemetery underneath the village of Tupac Amaru, located six miles outside of Lima, […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Elizabeth Hamilton

A Celtic Helmet?: Headgear from a Bronze Age Hoard: What in the World?

This sheet bronze helmet, which dates to around 1000 B . C ., was one of a hoard of nine similar helmets found in 1832 in Bernières d’Ailly, Normandy, […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Alex Pezzati

The Inventor and the Sultan: Bright Idea Opens the Way for Excavations in Ancient Nippur: From the Archives

The Museum was in its infancy in 1888 when Rev. Dr. John Punnett Peters was in Constantinople (now Istanbul), then […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Bernard Wailes

Defining (Kel’tik): The Case of the Insular Celts

In decades past, archaeologists in search of clues to the ori¬gin of ethnic groups like the Celts tended to equate […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Elizabeth Hamilton

From the Issue Editor

The first written mention of the Celts comes from Herodotus, who in the fifth century B.C. wrote that the Danube […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Jeremy A. Sabloff

From the Director – Spring 2003

The readership of Expedition is quite varied, comprising residents of all parts of the United States and the world. While […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

By: Elizabeth Hamilton

The Celts and Urbanization: The Enduring Puzzle of the Oppida

Archaeologists have speculated for decades about the role of Celtic settlements called oppida, because they fit only loosely into the […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 2

By: Gillian Wakely

Serene Spaces: A Letter from the Associate Director for Programs

A Letter from the Associate Director for Programs first arrived in the University of Pennsylvania Museum over 30 years ago. […]

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Vol. 45 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2003: People, Places, Projects

After 12 years of ethno- archaeological field- work in present-day Maasai territory in southern Kenya, I have extended my focus […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 3

By: Tammi J. Schneider

Through Assyria’s Eyes: Israel's Relationship with Judah

The Hebrew Bible records the history of ancient Israel and Judah, relating that the two kingdoms were united under Saul (ca. 1000 […]

Hunting or fishing gear? Amulets or charms? Gaming pieces? These walrus ivory objects, delicately carved bas-reliefs with images of either a seal […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 3

Museum Mosaic – Winter 2002: People, Places, Projects

The Near Eastern Section recently received a grant from the Museum Loan Network, the University of Pennsylvania Museum’s third MLN […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 3

By: Beebe Bahrami

From the Editor – Winter 2002

I am deeply honored and delighted to be Expedition’s new editor and to help fulfill Expedition’s mission of advancing our […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 3

By: Benedicte Grima

Women, Culture, and Health in Rural Afghanistan

For years women in tribal and rural Afghanistan have received minimal medical attention. The reasons extend far beyond the war […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 3

By: David R. Starbuck

By Yon Bonnie Banks: An Archaeological Search for Clan MacFarlane

Scotland has traditionally evoked images of plaids, bagpipes, haggis, thrift, hospitality, and sheep as far as the eye can see. […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 3

By: Janet Richards

Time and Memory in Ancient Egyptian Cemeteries: The Dynamic History of Ancient Sites

When travelers visit ancient sites in modern Egypt, they experience a static and soften recreated snapshot of a moment time […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Sharon Aponte Misdea

A Visual History of Archaeology at Tikal

Since its introduction in the mid-19th century, photography has played a prominent role in documenting archaeological sites. Photographs record excavations and artifacts, […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Michael D. Danti

The View from the Tell: Nafila Villagers Make Room for an Expedition: Field Experience

Try as we might to avoid the romantic image of archaeologists roughing it in the field, that ’s precisely what we do each dig […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Matt Glendinning

Recovering the Lost Art of Phrygian Roof Tiling: Practical and Aesthetic Elements Converge in Clay, Reflecting Greek Artistic Temperament

An impressive sight must have greeted a visitor entering the fortified citadel of Gordion in the early sixth century B. C. After suffering devastating destruction by […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Melvyn Hammarberg

Research Notes: The Olympic Face of the LDS Church: A Warm Welcome Belies the Low Profile of the 'LDS Olympics'

As part of my research on the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, my wife and I flew to Salt Lake City the day […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Beebe Bahrami

An Enduring Legacy: Robert L. Trescher Crafted the Modern Museum: Portrait

Robert L. Trescher, Esq., opened many doors for individuals and institutions through-out his life. So it is entirely appropriate that his name is honored at […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Charles A. Evers and Ann Blair Brownlee

Restoration & Renewal: Museum Readies Mediterranean Section Galleries for the 21st Century

There is a new sense of excitement in the Museum’s Mediterranean Galleries, which are devoted to the cultures of ancient Greece […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Harold Dibble

Learning More About Neandertals: A Newly Discovered Tool Piques Curiosity: What in the World

From about 250,000 to 35,000 years ago, during the Middle Paleolithic, or Mousterian, period, Neandertals lived in Western Europe. Although we occasionally find bits […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Theodore G. Schurr

Book News & Reviews: 500,000 Years in Siberia: Digs Link a Long History of Migrations to Cultural Diversity: The Paleolithic of Siberia: New Discoveries and Interpretations

New archaeological evidence concerning how people lived in Siberia during the Paleolithic period is the subject of this ambitious book. Along with patterns of […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 2

By: Sharon Nagy and Nabil Abu-Dayyeh

Village Air for Urban Elites: Heritage Cafe Complexes in Jordan

Memorializing everyday life is a common practice that spans cultures and countries. We easily recognize this in theme parks, living-history museums, […]

If you visited the Wadi al-Hasa region of west central Jordan today, you would probably find it hard to picture […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 1

By: Melvyn Hammarberg

The World of the Latter-day Saints–A Life Plan Model

The 2002 Winter Olympics brought worldwide attention to Salt Lake City, headquarters of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 1

By: Brian L. Peasnall

Intricacies of Hallan Çemi: Research Notes

Until recently, Southeastern Anatolia (Turkish Asia Minor) was largely written off as a cultural backwater during the Neolithic period, the […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 1

By: Alex Pezzati

Murder in Mesopotamia: From the Archives

The Setting is an Archaeological expedition to Ur, in Iraq, during the 1930s. The beautiful, intriguing, and temperamental wife of […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 1

By: Shannon C. White

An Alabaster Mystery: What in the World?

Did it once hold cosmetics for a Parthian beauty? Or perhaps weight her loom? Or maybe it was a sacred […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 1

By: Suzanne Sheehan Becker

From the Director for Development

Every day at the University of Pennsylvania Museum you learn some thing new, something that expands your awareness and challenges your […]

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Vol. 44 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2002: People, Places, Projects

It isn’t made of gold, but an enigmatic ivory statuette of a lion tamer may once have belonged to King Midas. At least […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 3

Museum Mosaic – Winter 2001: People, Places, Projects

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology has been running a nationally known Collections Management Internship Program for […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 3

By: Elin C. Danien

Chicken Soup and Canvas Bags: Advice for the Field

Today when the Internet is almost ubiquitous and air travel is as common as a walk down the lane, it’s […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 3

By: Michael Danti

Palmyrene Funerary Sculptures at Penn

Today, the ancient city of Palmyra, the caravan center and oasis of the Syrian Desert (Fig. I), evokes romantic images […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 3

By: Leslie Guy

Moving the Museum’s Ethnographic Collections: A Conservation Approach

Beginning in January 2002 the Museum will be relocating almost 100,000 ethnographic artifacts from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 3

By: Ayşe Gursan-Salzmann

The Women of Yassihöyük, Turkey: Changing Roles in a New Economy

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Vol. 43 / No. 2

By: Clark L. Erickson

Pre-Columbian Roads of the Amazon

Traditionally, archaeologists have studied “sites.” Sites include monuments, settlements, cities, cemeteries, mounds, and other important places of the past. The […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Summer 2001: People, Places, Projects

Highlights from the Museum’s traveling exhibition, ‘THE ROYAL TOMBS OF Ur”—including the world-renowned “Ram-in-the-Thicket,” Lady Pu-Abi’s headdress, and a gold and […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 2

By: Victor H. Mair

The Case of the Wayward Oracle Bone

Late last summer (2000), when I returned to my office from a research trip to China, a message was waiting for me […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 2

By: Deborah I. Olszewski, Shannon P. McPherron, Harold L. Dibble and Marie Soressi

Middle Egypt in Prehistory: A Search for the Origins of Modern Human Behavior and Human Dispersal

The word Egypt for many people evokes images of one of the great civilizations of the ancient world and represents […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 2

By: Adria H. Katz

Decorated Canoe Prow-boards from the Trobriand Islands

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Janet Monge

Researching the Origins of Swahili Coast Inhabitants

The end of the 10th century marked many changes in the way archaeological and physical anthropological research is conducted. Most […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Alex Pezzati

World Photography on the Worldwide Web: From the Archives

The photographic collections of the University of Pennsylvania Museum Archives consist of approximately 300,00o items: glass and film negatives, paper-based […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

Found! A Pair of Doves–and More…: What in the World?

In 1999, James Cahill, a leading international authority on Chinese painting, descended into the storerooms of the University of Pennsylvania […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

Museum Mosaic – Spring 2001: People, Places, Projects

Dr. Gerald Margolis The University of Pennsylvania Museum welcomes a senior administrator who started at the Museum on February 28, […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Jeremy A. Sabloff

From the Director

In February 15, 2001, the Museum publicity launched its $55 million The 21st Century Campaign: Preserving the Past, Endowing the […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Alexander Emel'yanov

Forest Hunters of Eurasia

The forest zone of central Eurasia is a territory of continental climates (cold winters and warm summers), with dense temperate […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Natalia Shishlina

Early Herders of the Eurasian Steppe

In the broad treeless steppe of Kalmykia, situated almost directly between the Black and Caspian seas, stands a huge burial mound […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Fredrik T. Hiebert

Black Sea Coastal Cultures: Trade and Interaction

Trade and Maritime Space The study of ancient trade has greatly enhanced our understanding of the development of civilizations. In […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Fredrik T. Hiebert

Eurasian Archaeology

This issue of Expedition highlights recent research in three distinctly different environments of Eurasia: the Black Sea coastal region, the […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Clark L. Erickson

Precolumbian Fish Farming in the Amazon: Research Notes

Popular images associated with the Amazon today include the towering continuous green forest canopy, Day-Glo poison dart frogs, and native […]

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Vol. 43 / No. 1

By: Alex de Voogt

Mancala: Games That Count

Passengers waiting patiently for their luggage in the Toronto airport frowned perplexedly at my dealings with a man from Uganda. […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 3

By: Lucy Fowler Williams and Melissa Wagner

American Collections Inspire Native Artists and Indian Communities

The American Section of University of Pennsylvania Museum has developed a rewarding relationship with the National Museum of the American […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 3

By: Kathleen Ryan

Edible Wild Plants as Digestive Aids: Ethnoarchaeology in Maasailand: Science & Archaeology

Indigenous cultures around the world retain knowledge of a diversity of plants in their environments, including plants used for medicinal […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 3

By: Julia Lawson

Unraveling Threads: Conservation of the Weaving Lady: Research Notes

In the early 1960s the University of Pennsylvania Museum acquired an unusually precolumbian figural object. It consists of a doll-like […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 3

By: Alex Pezzati

Painted Walls, Painted Faces: From the Archives

The University of Pennsylvania Museum is not known for its collections of oil paintings, but the Archives displays a few […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 3

By: Fredrik T. Hiebert

Unique Bronze Age Stamp Seal Found in Central Asia: What in the World

The University of Pennsylvania Museum Central Asia archaeology project has recently completed its third season of investigation at Anau depe […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 3

By: Jeremy A. Sabloff

Kalighat paintings, as the name suggests, were created in the Kali Temple area on the ghat (bank) of the Burin […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: James R. Mathieu

A Tree Falls in Philadelphia: Research Notes

The plunging of a silver shovel into the dirt on April 14, 2000, marked the official groundbreaking for the construction […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Irene Bald Romano

What Is This Statue Doing Up In the Air?: What in the World

The marble statue of a seated Dionysos with a Lion (MS 5483) has been a familiar landmark in the center […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Jeremy A. Sabloff

From the Director

This issue of Expedition highlights one of the most renowned strengths of the University of Pennsylvania Museum: our archaeological and […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

Museum Mosaic – Summer 2000: People, Places, Projects

The University of Pennsylvania Museum awarded two honors in April 2000 in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Society […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Jing Sun

Opening Windows on the Outside World: My Experiences as an International Classroom Speaker

I came to the United States in February 1998 as a visiting scholar to do research on teaching English to minority […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Paul Zimmerman

Mapping Petra

In 1993 Martha Joukowsky opened a new excavation at the ancient Nabatean city of Petra in southwest Jordan (see box […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Paul Zimmerman

The City of Petra

Petra, one of the great cities of antiquity, Is nestled in the rugged Shan’ mountains of southern Jordan, halfway between the […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Leigh-Ann Bedal

Paradise Found: Petra's Urban Oasis

The ruins of the ancient city of Petra Crock” in Greek) lie in the mountains that form the eastern border […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Jennifer L. White

A Masterpiece in Clay: A Han House Model Reflects Traditional Chinese Life

For over twenty years a clay model of a three-story structure has stood with little notice among green-glazed ceramic tombwares […]

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Vol. 42 / No. 2

By: Josef Wegner

A Hundred Years at South Abydos: Reconstructing the Temple of Pharaoh Senwosret III

Discovery and Rediscovery of a Royal Mortuary Temple Late in 1899 a young British archaeologist, David Randall-Maclver, was exploring the […]

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Table of Contents

From the Editor: The People are the Stories

From the Williams Director: Community Collaborations

Of Outstanding Value to Humanity

Lasers in the Tomb: Digitally Modeling the Tomb within the Midas Mound

From the Williams Director: A Fifty-Year History of Research

From the Guest Editor: David O’Connor Memorial Issue of Expedition

Wah-Sut: Excavating a Middle Kingdom Town

Festive Fragments: The Penn Museum’s Malkata Collections

Making Memories in a Museum: From the Editor

A Season of Insight: From the Williams Director

Hopeful Science in Bleak Times: The Legacy of the WPA Laboratories During the Great Depression

From the Editor: New Word, Ancient World

From the Williams Director: Research and Reflection

A Trip to Troy with Homer

Zooming in on Asian Textiles

Kara Tepe: A Conversation Across Time

In Search of an Archaeology That Uplifts

Greetings from Lagash

Back to Lagash

It’s Five O’Clock, Sumer

A New Story of Sumer’s First Cities

Partners in Search of the Past

Cultural Heritage Crisis: Penn Museum curator and Penn Pik professor Lynn Meskell reflects on speaking at NATO about protecting the world’s most historic places.

The New CAAM Digital Laboratory

Answering Key Marco Questions

Unpacking the Past with Philadelphia Students

Welcome News

Membership Matters

Remembering Bob Ousterhout, 1950–2023

From the Guest Editors: Exploring a Cultural Crossroads

From the Williams Director: A Multicultural World, Like Our Own

Unveiling the Eastern Mediterranean Gallery

Views from Land and Sea: Displaying a Late Bronze Age Ship

Object Stratigraphy: Recycling in the Ancient World

Facing the Past: Anthropoid Sarcophagi From Beth Shean

From Trash to Historical Treasure: Stamped Handles From Gibeon in Judah

Votive Offerings: At the Sanctuary of Apollo at Kourion

Cyprus in the Penn Museum

An Ivory Sphinx from Nimrud

Prayer and Protection: Ritual Acts and Magical Objects in the Ancient Eastern Mediterranean

Family Portraits: From Palmyra to Philadelphia

Archaeology, Archives, & Empire: Excavating Beth Shean in British Mandate Palestine

On the Rim of a Volcano: A World War II Story From the Archives

Paint: A Fourth Dimension of Sculpture

Undergraduate Research in CAAM

Celebrating Lunar New Year with the American Chinese Museum

Remembering Museum Friends

Welcome News

The Alphabet: A Remarkable Journey from Sinai to Beijing

From the Publisher: A Bird’s-Eye View

From the Williams Director: Physical and Philosophical Transformation

UNESCO World Heritage at 50: A Conversation with Lynn Meskell

Wisdom of the Ancestors: Why Museum Politics Matter

U-2 Spy Plane Images Reveal Ancient Landscapes

Archaeology Takes Wing: The Penn Museum’s 1930 Aerial Expedition to the Yucatan

At a Crossroads of Culture: Creativity and Innovation in a Region Known for Conflict

Goddesses, Mothers, Rulers: Womanhood in an Ancient Patriarchal Society

Analyzing Guastavino Akoustolith Tiles

The Ksâr´Akil Rockshelter: A Corridor of Change and Innovation

Bringing Cross-Cultural Learning to Philadelphia Classrooms

Gifts of Objects Enhance American and Asian Section Collections

The Harriet Tubman Museum in Cape May, New Jersey

Welcome News

Membership Matters

From the Publisher: Rotating Displays

From the Williams Director: Bridging Culture and Community

Returning Homelands to a California Native American Tribe

Modeling the Past with Chris Ray

Rotating Displays: Deer Dancer and African Textiles

Shining a Spotlight on a Sixth-Century Bronze Maitreya

Healing Gardens of the Tahuayo: Examining Home Garden Variation in Amazonian Peru

Protected Offerings:: Penn Museum Collections Shed Light on Paracas Archaeology

From Mine to Microscope: Analyzing Archaeological Metals

Heritage in Our Hands:: UNESCO 50 Years Later

Poetry for the Immigrant Community

Conserving the Sanctuary of Apollo Hylates Artifacts

From the Archives: Time Travel With the Film Archives Collections