Gaze upon this building. The Penn Museum stands here as a landmark on the University of Pennsylvania campus. Established in 1887, the Penn Museum is home to over 1.3 million artifacts. It boasts one of the most comprehensive collections of Middle and Near-Eastern art in the world.
Originally named the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, it began after an expedition to Nippur in Iraq. William Pepper, a provost, convinced the university trustees to construct a fireproof building. This was to house the artifacts from the excavation.
In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, museums sponsored excavations. They shared ownership of discoveries with the host country. The Penn Museum followed this practice. As a result, most objects have a known archaeological context. This increases their value for research and presentation. Since its inception, the museum’s scientists have conducted over 300 expeditions worldwide.
Today, the Penn Museum features materials from around the globe. This includes the ancient Mediterranean World, Egypt, the Near East, and Mesopotamia. You’ll also find art from East Asia, Mesoamerica, Africa, and Native America. Since 1958, the Penn Museum has published Expedition magazine.
The Penn Museum building itself is a work of art. It showcases Arts and Crafts and Eclectic styles. It was designed by Philadelphia architects who taught at the university. Wilson Eyre, Cope and Stewardson, and Frank Miles Day contributed to its design. The first phase, completed in 1899, housed discoveries from Nippur. The rotunda, housing Harrison Auditorium, was completed in 1915. The Coxe Memorial Wing, designed by Charles Klauder, opened in 1926 for the Egyptian collection. The Sharpe Wing was completed in 1929.
The Museum Library, established in 1900, began with Daniel Garrison Brinton’s library. His collection focused on the ethnology and linguistics of American Indigenous peoples.
Penn Museum’s collections are divided into archaeology and ethnology. There are eleven permanent galleries as of 2023. These include Africa, Asia, Egypt, and the Middle East. There is also the Eastern Mediterranean, Etruscan, Greece, Rome, Native American Voices, and Mexico and Central America.
The Penn Museum has one of the largest collections of African objects in the country. These were mainly obtained from 1891 to 1937. The Central African collection features artifacts from the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Moroccan collection documents Moroccan cultures with clothing, weapons, and jewelry.
The North American collections contain items spanning twenty thousand years. Edgar B Howard’s excavations near Clovis, New Mexico identified the Clovis Point.
The Mesoamerican collections include objects from Mexico, Guatemala, and Belize. The museum conducted an excavation of the Mayan city of Tikal, Guatemala. The Mexico and Central America Gallery features art and artifacts from eight Central American countries.
The Asian collection comprises nearly 3,000 objects from China, Tibet, and Japan. The Asian Gallery is housed in Harrison Rotunda.
The Penn Museum’s Egyptian collection is one of the finest. It features statuary, mummies, and reliefs. Most notably, it houses a 13-ton granite Sphinx of Ramesses II. It dates back to circa 1200 B.C.
One of the most important collections is that of the Royal Tombs of Ur. The University of Pennsylvania co-excavated this site with the British Museum in Iraq. The Babylonian section houses almost 30,000 clay tablets inscribed in cuneiform.
The Penn Museum continues to uncover stories of our shared humanity. Its vast collections and ongoing research make it a treasure trove of knowledge. It is a place where you can explore the world under one roof. It is also a place where you can discover your place in the arc of human history.