The Penn Museum has some amazing collections.  Highlights include the Egyptian mummies, Greek pottery, and African gold weights (the peanut is a particular favorite), but there are so many stories to be told with the million-plus objects housed in the collection. Begun in 1887 to house artifacts brought back from the University’s archaeological expedition in Iraq, the building itself was started 1889 and multiple additions were made through 2002. The challenge for visitors was navigating through the building with its multiple floors, dead ends, and lack of air conditioning. And, while the collections were amazing, the old fashioned exhibits left a lot to be desired. Today, the museum is in the midst of a multi-year renovation, which hopes to eliminate many of these challenges.

Sphinx - University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology Philadelphia

Greek Pottery - University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology Philadelphia

As of 2024, the Middle East, American and African galleries have been reopened. There is now plenty of signage and interactive displays that help put the objects in context.

University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
My favorite artifact from the Middle East Galleries – this charm (necklace? headdress?) from Queen Puabi’s royal tomb with gold dates, apples, stags, gazelles, bulls, rams and date palms.
University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology
My second favorite object – a 4,000 year old footprint  in a mud brick.

There is also information tying in many of the finds with the excavations and archaeologists that discovered them, and the technology that allows researchers to continue to learn about and from these objects. My only complaint here is that they took away the information about Agatha Christie, whose archaeologist husband worked with Penn and the British Museum on the excavations at Ur.  Christie joined him on these excavations, and they inspired many of her stories, including “Murder on the Orient Express,” “They Came to Baghdad,” and “Murder in Mesopotamia.”

Recently several exhibits that displayed human remains have been removed, as the museum deals with changing perceptions on how these objects should (or should not) be displayed. New exhibits also go into detail about how objects were acquired, and the impact of colonialism on native cultures and their material histories.

Because the museum is connected with the University and engages in ongoing archaeological and anthropological research, it is constantly evolving with special exhibits highlighting current findings. A recent exhibit on Food and Flavor through Time included these original Victorian frames housing 4000/+ year old fishing net:

Tip: The museum grounds are beautiful, and the perfect place for a picnic on warm days. There are usually food trucks across the street, or you can get take out from the museum’s cafe.

The museum has an outstanding program of family events, lectures, tours, music, movies, summer camps and other cultural events.

Field trips: Field trips are available. You can enjoy tours of the galleries (Rome and Egypt are always favorites) and several hands-on programs (mummy making, roman mosaics).  Home-school classes are also offered.

Note: Because the museum is renovating, make sure to check the website to see what galleries are currently closed.

https://www.penn.museum/