Volume 65 / Number 1
2023
Spotlight On: The First Cities of Sumer
On The Cover: The sun rises over the land that was once ancient Sumer. This reopened dig site in southern Iraq had been off limits to researchers for the past 30 years.
Vol. 65 / No. 1
By: Quinn Russell Brown
From the Editor: New Word, Ancient World
When I became the editor of Expedition in April 2023, I spent a few days thumbing through decades of back […]
View Article
Vol. 65 / No. 1
By: Christopher Woods
From the Williams Director: Research and Reflection
Dear Friends, Our last issue of Expedition was a grand celebration of our new Eastern Mediterranean Gallery: an immersive, innovative […]
View Article
Vol. 65 / No. 1
By: C. Brian Rose and Sheila Murnaghan
A Trip to Troy with Homer
The Spring 2023 interdisciplinary seminar “Troy and Homer,” co-taught by C. Brian Rose and Sheila Murnaghan, focused on the city […]
View Article
Vol. 65 / No. 1
By: Katy Rosenthal and Katy Rosenthal
Zooming in on Asian Textiles
The Penn Museum has recently made a huge investment in its collection of textiles held in the Asian Section, photographing […]
View Article
Vol. 65 / No. 1
By: Katherine Blanchard and Michael Campeggi
Kara Tepe: A Conversation Across Time
The strength of the Penn Museum’s Near East collection lies in the vast number of objects that come from the […]
View Article
Vol. 65 / No. 1
By: Robert J. Vigar
In Search of an Archaeology That Uplifts
The fan whirred overhead, dispersing plumes of voluminous cigarette smoke around the small, dim room in the recesses of the […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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. […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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, […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article
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 […]
View Article