Roll up your sleeves and feel your way through ancient history! The best way to learn about the past is by touching it - handle ancient tablets from the collection of Penn Museum and then make your own or even learn the ancient art of Japanese woodblock print making. There is always something new to discover at the Penn Museum.
Gambling with the Gods - Currently Unavailable
Ancient Casino Night
Transform the Penn Museum’s Chinese Rotunda into an ancient casino room floor! “Roll them bones” and make your way through the showroom floor for an “old” spin on some familiar games. Whether you want to schedule this for a smaller intimate group, or a large 150 person reception - this activity is sure to raise the stakes for future events to come.
Length: 1 - 4 hours
Capacity: 1 - 150+ people
Booking: Please allow at least three weeks lead time when booking this activity
Pricing: Please contact group sales for pricing information
Writing Cuneiform Tablets
The Sumerians of ancient Mesopotamia created perhaps the earliest written collection of stories in the world - or rather their children did. Archaeologists have dug up the exercise tablets on Sumerian children practiced learning signs and copying myths and legends by the thousands. By getting up close with ancient tablets from the collection of Penn Museum and learning to use clay and styluses, your group will follow the path of the ancient scribes as they mastered the mysteries of the cuneiform writing system.
Length: 1 hour per session
Capacity: 30 people per session
Booking: Please allow at least three weeks lead time when booking this workshop
Pricing: Please contact group sales for pricing information
"Making" Workshops
The Penn Museum is serving up a series of workshops for people who like to learn by doing. In the “Making” workshops your group will step into the past by studying ancient objects from the Museum’s international collections while crafting and/or using modern replicas of your own. Penn faculty experts and local artisans lead these engaging sessions and answer your questions.
Make anything from spears and ancient weaponry, to Japanese woodblock print making, or even Maya hot chocolate!
Length: 1 hour per session
Capacity: 40 people per session
Booking: Please allow at least three weeks lead time when booking a "Making Workshop"
Pricing: Please contact group sales for pricing information
The Archaeologist Within You
It may be difficult for the average person to relate to the work of archaeologists. However, we all do this archeological work instinctively whenever we come across an unfamiliar object in our daily lives – a strange piece of litter on the street, an obscure knick knack at a friend’s house, an unknown tool at the hardware store. Participants in this activity with work as a group to take on the role of archaeologists and try to make sense of various mystery modern-day objects. Groups will discuss their process of discovery and how it relates to their current professional roles and responsibilities. Participants can expect to take away a deeper understanding of the archaeological process, an awareness of their own learning process, and an appreciation for the various ways that leadership skills are used in everyday tasks.
Length: 1 hour per session
Capacity: 30 people per session
Booking: Please allow at least three weeks lead time when booking this workshop
Pricing: Please contact group sales for pricing information
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