Penn Museum

Penn Museum A million world wonders. 10,000 years of human history. Exploring our shared humanity✨Now On View What does the Code of Hammurabi have to do with the U.S.
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We have more in common than we think—our past, present, and future paths are all intertwined. constitution? How can archaeology help to predict climate change? And what radical social changes accelerated by ancient plagues could be replicated in a post-COVID world? Home to over a million extraordinary objects from Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Mediterranean, since 1887 the Penn Museum has be

en uncovering our shared humanity. In bridging archaeology, the study of objects made by humans, with anthropology, the science of humanity, we chart a course for finding one’s own place in the arc of human history. We are dedicated to telling powerful stories from around the world. And nowhere else in the Western Hemisphere will you be greeted by a 3,000-year-old, 25,000-pound Egyptian sphinx! The Penn Museum sparks curiosity, wonder, and endless exploration. We invite everyone to join our incredible journey of discovery and dig deeper. Explore what's on view at: https://www.penn.museum/on-view/galleries-exhibitions . Admission is $18 for adults; $15 for senior citizens (65+); and $13 for children. Buy tickets in advance online at https://www.penn.museum/tickets/ . FREE for Museum Members, PennCard holders, teachers (with ID), U.S. military members & veterans (with ID), high school students (ages 13-19,) and children 5 and younger. Present ID at the desk to receive free admission. Check the "Plan Your Visit" page on the website for other special offers.
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09/02/2026

How have objects helped people practice and express their beliefs across time and cultures?

Louis Polcin, a Penn Graduate Guide, takes us through one of the stops on the Penn Museum's NEW Guided Tour—Sacred Objects: Religion and Ritual.

From ancient Mesopotamian offerings and Buddhist sculpture to West African royal altars and Indigenous Arctic lamps, explore the many ways people have expressed their faith, spirituality, and devotion through the cultural objects and items they've made and used.

Guided Tour 📿 Sacred Objects: Religion and Ritual
TWO DATES, Sep. 19 & 20, 1–2 pm

Space is limited. Advance registration is encouraged: https://bit.ly/4y7jDtl

🎟️ Your tour ticket includes full-day Museum admission—come early or stay after to explore the galleries.

🌐 On Sept. 23 at 6pm, archaeologist, economist, and professor Dr. Peter G. Gould, shares invaluable and practical tools ...
09/01/2026

🌐 On Sept. 23 at 6pm, archaeologist, economist, and professor Dr. Peter G. Gould, shares invaluable and practical tools from economics for navigating day-to-day financial and operational needs of heritage preservation amid economic, climate, and conflict-driven crises.
—FREE & OPEN TO THE PUBLIC!

Join us for the Penn Cultural Heritage Center Lecture: Economics and the Future of Heritage.

Expanding on Gould's recent open-access book, Essential Economics for Heritage, this talk is for students, professionals, and anyone interested in unpacking the complex relationships between governments, communities, and international agencies in context withcultural heritage management.

Free; Registration encouraged: https://bit.ly/454qh7j

Still feeling fever? Inspired by the enduring epic and more ancient wonders in our Greece Galleries, discover gifts fi...
08/31/2026

Still feeling fever?

Inspired by the enduring epic and more ancient wonders in our Greece Galleries, discover gifts fit for gods, heroes, and queens—including Aphrodite Coin Earrings similar to the ones worn by Anne Hathaway in The Odyssey Movie.

Shop the entire Odyssey Collection from the Penn Museum Shop : https://shop.penn.museum/collections/the-odyssey-collection

Join us on Oct. 21 for a talk & book signing with Kate Myers, Penn alumna and author of the national bestseller "Excavat...
08/28/2026

Join us on Oct. 21 for a talk & book signing with Kate Myers, Penn alumna and author of the national bestseller "Excavations" that inspired the comedy TV series "Dig," starring Amy Poehler and Hugh Laurie!

Spots are limited. Register today: https://bit.ly/3SDPuTt

Inspired by her experiences on a 2008 Penn summer archaeology dig in Greece, Myers’ hit novel is set to air on Peacock as a new comedy series. Produced by Mike Schur, co-creator of Parks & Recreation, Dig follows four women at an archaeological excavation whose discovery of an impossible artifact challenges long-held assumptions about history and gender.

Hear from the celebrated author as she unearths the journey of "Excavations"—from archaeological fieldwork to its debut from page to screen.

Co-sponsored by Penn Arts & Culture and Penn Alumni Relations, the evening will include an introduction by Penn Provost John L. Jackson, a moderated conversation with Penn Museum Director Christopher Woods, audience Q&A, and a book signing.

Image Credit: Colleen Hayes/Peacock

How can ancient artifacts unlock new ways of understanding history?Matthijs Wibier, an assistant professor of Classics a...
08/27/2026

How can ancient artifacts unlock new ways of understanding history?

Matthijs Wibier, an assistant professor of Classics and a Roman law scholar at the University of Cincinnati, worked with archaeologists at the Penn Museum to piece together 50 fragments to discover that they formed an entire double-sided page of an ancient Roman legal text dating back to the fourth century!

The Penn Museum's collection holds hundreds of manuscripts from Egypt, many of them surviving only as fragments. They include texts written on papyrus, vellum, and animal skin in several ancient languages.

Ultraviolet light helped Wibier decorde the faded ink and recover parts of the Latin text to produce a translation. His findings revealed laws related to public roads, taxes, food supplies, and the use of public buildings. One section even warns against treating public buildings as private property.

Read the full story via Archaeology News: https://bit.ly/3SYe01N

Some things never change 🐾 About 4,100 years ago, while a king's name was being stamped into this mud brick, a curious d...
08/26/2026

Some things never change 🐾 About 4,100 years ago, while a king's name was being stamped into this mud brick, a curious dog decided to leave its own mark.

On your next visit, make sure to see these ancient paw prints up close in our Middle East Galleries!

🎉 Happy , University of Pennsylvania students!BACK-TO-SCHOOL FUN FACT: In ancient Mesopotamia, children who were to bec...
08/25/2026

🎉 Happy , University of Pennsylvania students!

BACK-TO-SCHOOL FUN FACT: In ancient Mesopotamia, children who were to become scribes would practice writing by impressing repeated cuneiform characters on clay. This unbaked tablet (which we call the "first day of school" tablet) depicts the single vertical wedge repeated over and over across its surface. ⁣
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See this 4,000-year-old tablet on display in our Middle East Galleries.⁣ Plan your visit today: https://bit.ly/3Wl74sk

BONUS ✨ University of Pennsylvania students receive free admission all year round!

On Ukrainian Independence Day, join us in celebrating cultural heroes.What does it mean for a country to shape its own c...
08/24/2026

On Ukrainian Independence Day, join us in celebrating cultural heroes.

What does it mean for a country to shape its own culture?
Ukrainians have been prohibited from deciding what stories they want to tell about their own history, art, language and literature, as well as political legacy following Russia's takeover of Crimea.

Since 2022, the Penn Cultural Heritage Center has supported our colleagues in Ukraine, documenting Russia’s attacks on the country’s cultural heritage.

During this time, we have witnessed Ukrainian museum professionals, archaeologists, archivists, and librarians defend and protect their collections and publicly advocate for their belief in a strong and distinct Ukrainian heritage. They remained committed to cultivating spaces of community and care at their cultural institutions, even if these actions placed them at great risk.

The PennCHC’s Cultural Defenders Security Initiative honors such colleagues by documenting their stories of risk and resilience in the pursuit of cultural freedom.

Learn more about their stories through the PennCHC’s Cultural Freedom Project: https://bit.ly/4geiv1e

Summer bucket list ✔️ Visit the Penn Museum—recently named as a must-see in the New York Times' 36 Hours in Philadelphia...
08/21/2026

Summer bucket list ✔️ Visit the Penn Museum—recently named as a must-see in the New York Times' 36 Hours in Philadelphia!

Take a look at 's trip around the globe — all in a day and no passport required.

From mosaic tiles and stela fragments in the Middle East Galleries to a peaceful summer moment by the koi pond in the Warden Garden, adventure can be found around every corner of the Museum.

📸 On your next visit, don't forget to snap photos in front of your favorite artifacts and tag for a chance to be featured!

Something Old, Something Blue 🩵 On Tuesday, Sept. 22, join the Archaeology Institute of America at the for a free lect...
08/20/2026

Something Old, Something Blue 🩵

On Tuesday, Sept. 22, join the Archaeology Institute of America at the for a free lecture on The Color of Innovation through Ancient Western Asian Seals.

Drawing on the Ancient Western Asian seal collection at The Morgan Library & Museum made famous by the glyptic scholarship of Edith Porada, Dr. Pınar Durgun explores how seals can open a window into broader questions of material performance and innovation.

Rather than viewing stone as the pinnacle medium in traditional hierarchies of value, it argues for a more expansive perspective on seal materials that recognizes experimentation, technical knowledge, and creativity.

Get tickets: https://bit.ly/3Sin8y2

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