Beneath the Surface
A new exhibition delves into the excavation, the discoveries, and the people of Sitio Conte
On the Cover: The Paramount Chief from Sitio Conte Burial 11.
em>Original Illustration created by Sharif Tarabay/Illustrationweb.com
A Research Institution
From the Editor
By: Jane Hickman
The Penn Museum’s 2013–2020 Strategic Plan includes four foundational pillars: research, teaching, collections stewardship, and public engagement. In addition to our regular features, the Winter issue of Expedition offers a selection of articles and departmental columns that illustrate recent work in each of these foundational areas, with research as the underlying common thread. Deputy Director […]
Connections that Last a Lifetime
From the Director
By: Julian Siggers
We frequently hear from people who first encountered the Penn Museum during the formative years of their childhood or adolescence. Some came here as part of a school group, or with their families, or visited for the first time when they were students at Penn. Many have become members so that they can visit their […]
New CAAM Labs and Classrooms Open for Fall Semester
From the Deputy Director
By: Steve Tinney
When students swipe their Penncards at the blue door and walk down the corridor to the Penn Museum’s newly reopened West Wing Labs, a world of experiences awaits them. Swiping again, through the grey door, they enter the realm of Conservation and the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials, or CAAM, where a suite […]
Around the World
The Penn Museum’s curators, staff, and consulting scholars conduct research around the world. Read on for a small sampling of their work from this past year. Southwest Utah Robert L. Schuyler, Ph.D., Associate Curator-in-Charge, Historical Archaeology Section The Silver Reef Project—excavation of a 19th-century mining ghost town— has been active over the last 30 years. […]
From Homework to Fieldwork: Summer 2014 Student Projects
Around the World
The Penn Museum encourages and supports student research projects. In 2014, we funded 35 students (23 graduate students, 12 undergraduate students) in their fieldwork in 15 different countries. Five of these students share their summer projects. Molyvoti, Thrace Archaeological Project By Samuel Holzman, Graduate Student in Art And Archaeology of The Mediterranean World (AAMW) During […]
Saving Syria’s Cultural Heritage
Past/Present
By: Richard M. Leventhal and Brian I. Daniels
The news from Syria is unbearable. Over 200,000 Syrians have been killed and the country’s population has been largely displaced. Many of Syria’s famous heritage sites have been seriously damaged or destroyed. Most of us feel helpless in the face of such human tragedy. But when Salam Al Kuntar fled to the U.S. and asked […]
The Excavations at Sitio Conte
Beneath the Surface
By: Lucy Fowler Williams
The Penn Museum’s excavations at Sitio Conte began in 1940 with an invitation from private landowner, Miguel Conte. Since discovering a Pre-Columbian cemetery on his property in 1927, Conte had encouraged professional archaeologists to help record the history of the ancient Coclé people who once lived there. Associate Curator J. Alden Mason took the lead […]
A Treasure Among the Sherds
Beneath the Surface
By: Lynn Grant
The treatments done by Penn Museum conservators usually relate to a current exhibition or loan. For our interns, however, we often seek out specially challenging or interesting projects that might otherwise not be treated. In the spring of 2009, when Beneath the Surface: Life, Death, and Gold in Ancient Panama was just a glimmer in […]
Peopling the Past
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Making of Beneath the Surface: Life Death and Gold in Ancient Panama
We are often asked about the planning that goes into the design and construction of an exhibition—questions that are answered and decisions that are made well before an exhibition opens to the public. On February 7, 2015, Beneath the Surface: Life, Death, and Gold in Ancient Panama will open at the Penn Museum. This 2,000-square-foot […]
Searching for the Kingdom of Musasir
The Rowanduz Archaeological Program
By: Michael D. Danti
Near Eastern archaeologists generate compelling headlines and grab attention searching for lost kingdoms, temples, and palaces, but most everyone knows that modern archaeology encompasses far more than the pursuit of great discoveries. Archaeologists strive to reconstruct past cultures and study cultural evolution and human-environment interactions over time. Nevertheless, I confess that our new archaeological project […]