NEWS RELEASE Pam Kosty, Public Relations Director 215.898.4045
[email protected] ABOUT THE PENN MUSEUM Founded in 1887, the Penn Museum (University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology) is an internationally renowned museum and research institution dedicated to the understanding of cultural diversity and the exploration of the history of humankind. In its 130-year history, the Penn Museum has sent more than 350 research expeditions around the world and collected nearly one million obJects, many obtained directly through its own excavations or anthropological and ethnographic research. Art and Artifacts from across Continents and throughout Time Three gallery floors feature art and artifacts from ancient Egypt, Mesopotamia, North and Central America, Asia, Africa, and the ancient Mediterranean World. Special exhibitions drawn both from the Museum’s own collections and brought in on loan enrich the gallery offerings. Ancient Egyptian treasures on display include monumental architectural elements from the Palace of Merenptah, mummies, and a 15-ton granite Sphinx—the largest Sphinx in the Western Hemisphere. Canaan and Ancient Israel features Near East artifacts and looks at the crossroads of cultures in that dynamic region. Worlds Intertwined, a suite of ancient Mediterranean World galleries, features more than 1,400 artifacts from Greece, Etruscan Italy, and the Roman world. The Museum’s Africa Gallery features material from throughout that vast continent, including fine West and Central African masks and instruments and an acclaimed Benin bronze collection from Nigeria, while an adJacent Imagine Africa with the Penn Museum proJect invites visitors to share perspectives and make suggestions for future African exhibitions.