Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary

08/05/2026

The Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archeology is pleased to announce Yaroub Al Obaidi as its new guest curator! Yaroub is a Ph.D. candidate at Duquesne University with extensive experience developing and leading educational programming at the Penn Museum, Museum for Art in Wood, University of Baghdad, and elsewhere. He is a member of ASOR’s Cultural Heritage Committee who has spoken widely at meetings of ASOR, American Association for State and Local History, American Libraries Association, American Alliance of Museums, and in other venues. He is also an artist and a published author whose works have been displayed at Schuylkill Center for Environmental Education and Duquesne University, and whose writings about community, friendship, and family have been published in Friendship, Peace and Social Justice (Routledge, 2023) and Anti-Racist Community Engagement: Digital Companion (Campus Compact, 2023). Yaroub also spent five years as a volunteer with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (Malaysia office, Iraqi Community Leader) and has nearly a decade of business development experience as executive director of New Desert Star Trading Sdn. Bhd. Yaroub says: “I believe that each exhibition should foster an active dialogue engaging visitors intellectually and emotionally, conveying new information, and telling previously untold stories in ways that are both educational and enjoyable.” Welcome, Yaroub! Book your tour of the Kelso Museum or stop in during open hours, Tuesdays and Wednesdays 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m. https://www.pts.edu/Visiting_the_Museum

07/23/2026

To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Tell Beit Mirsim excavations in British Mandate Palestine, the Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology is highlighting artifacts from the site.

Measuring just 6.2 cm x 1.9 cm, this bone inlay beautifully captures the vitality of a running doe deer in a few simple, skillfully incised strokes.

What We Know
• It is one of only two figurative images found among numerous decorative bone inlays at the site.
• The rest feature abstract circles, lines, or geometric patterns.
• Because its exact location at the tell was meticulously documented, we can date it to around 1600 BCE. At this time, the city was inhabited by Canaanites—known to neighboring Egyptians as the Aamu—and was probably ruled by Hyksos princes.
• Based on similar worked bone strips, this piece was originally used to decorate a wooden box or luxury furniture.

What We Don’t Know
• What did the doe mean to the artisan or the owner? Or other ancient viewers?
• Was it associated with hunting? In the entry in the 1932 Daybook, the registrar labels it “fleeing deer”.
• Or is it a metaphor, like the image in Psalm 42, “As a deer longs for running water, my soul longs for you, O God”?
• Or does it simply delight in capturing an animal in motion?
• What does it call up in your mind?

Object Number: PTS 0492 (TBM 1965)

🏛️ Come visit the Kelso Museum to see history up close, and follow us for regular news and updates!

07/13/2026

Pittsburgh Seminary mourns the passing of Kay Jennings, who volunteered at the Kelso Museum for more than 15 years. A Highland Park neighbor, Kay came to the Museum with an interest in archaeology fostered by her work as a volunteer on excavations conducted by her son, Justin, in the foothills of the Andes in Peru. Time spent as a Peace Corps volunteer at an orphanage in Konya, Turkey, also inspired in Kay an abiding interest in West Asia. At the Museum, she produced finding aids, repackaged several collections, and played an important role in the care of the Wadi ed-Daliyeh textiles, which date to the 330s BCE, as well as textiles from Palestinian communities of the British Mandate period. Kay also supported evaluation and search processes for Kelso Museum staff. PTS has been forever touched by Kay’s heartfelt investment in the Kelso Museum and looks forward to honoring her legacy by continuing to steward the educational programming and collections she tended with such care for the enrichment of the public.

07/07/2026

Looking for something unique to do this summer? Have you visited the Kelso Museum yet? It's free, and a great place to take out of town visitors! The Museum is open Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 9:00 a.m.-5:00 p.m., or by appointment. We invite students of all ages, scholars, faith groups, and community members to visit and experience this rare collection. Learn more at https://www.pts.edu/Museum.

05/11/2026

Explore ancient artifacts, biblical history, and the rich cultures of the Near East at the newly reopened Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. We invite students of all ages, scholars, faith groups, and community members to visit and experience this unique collection once again. Read more: https://www.pts.edu/museum-open

05/05/2026

We’re pleased to welcome Dr. Michael D. Danti as the new director of the Kelso Museum of Near Eastern Archaeology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. https://www.pts.edu/kelso-museum-director-michael-danti

Dr. Danti brings decades of experience in archaeology, cultural heritage preservation, and public scholarship, most recently serving at the University of Pennsylvania and the Penn Museum. His work reflects a deep commitment to preserving the stories and traditions of the ancient Near East.

“I’m excited to continue that work in a place where scholarship, faith, and community come together,” Dr. Danti shared.
Please join us in welcoming Dr. Danti to the PTS community!

09/02/2024