After 12 years of ethno- archaeological field- work in present-day Maasai territory in southern Kenya, I have extended my focus northward to a former Maasai stronghold in Laikipia District, on the eastern side of the Rift Valley. In the early 20th century the British colonial government forced the Maasai to vacate the fertile highlands of Laikipia to make way for settlement of white farmers. Remnants of abandoned Maasai homesteads, however, still abound on the landscape. In fact, there is evidence of possibly 150,000 years of human settlement, from the Middle Stone Age to the present, in the immediate area. With a team of archaeologists from the University of Pennsylvania and the National Museums of Kenya, I conducted archaeological survey and mapping of several of the settlements this past fall. Excavation of selected sites from all time periods, including Maasai settlements, is planned over the next five to seven years.
Welcoming Reception for International Students
On October 11, 2002, the International Classroom of the University Museum held its annual Welcoming Reception for International Students and Scholars in the Chinese Rotunda. In attendance were 850 guests from 104 countries, representing 45 colleges and universities as distant as the University of Scranton.
Over four decades, the International Classroom program has promoted understanding between residents of the Delaware Valley and people from around the world through presentations, lectures, and discussions. The reception welcomes international students and helps introduce them to a strong network in the Delaware Valley, and it has become a yearly hallmark event throughout the region’s international community.
A Fascinating (Behind-The-Exhibits) Fact
Many Etruscan objects in the Museum’s collection — most notably the black-fired bucchero pottery and small bronzes and the cinerary urn of Arnth Remzna — came from the collection of Robert H. Coleman, one of the wealthiest men in America in the late 1880s until his bankruptcy forced him to sell off his assets. The entire collection was purchased by the Museum at auction in 1897 with funds provided by Phoebe Hearst. Come visit the new Classical World galleries and see many more fine objects from the Museum’s Mediterranean Section.
The 3RD Annual Robert Burns lunch took place on January 27. In honor of Scotland’s national poet, Dr. Andrew Roxburgh McGhie — associate director of the LRSM and vice-president of the St. Andrews Society of Philadelphia — recited Burns’ poetry, spoke of the poet’s life, and led a sing-along to Burns’ most beloved songs. Bagpiper Dr. William E. Watson, also chair of the history department at Immaculata College and a Penn grad, regaled the event. The Museum Catering Company prepared a special menu of Scotch barley soup, haggis, neeps and tatties, coffee, and shortbread.