Overview

Open to all, the Museum is home to remarkable objects and powerful stories that emerge from its excavations and research across the world. Connect with the cultures of Africa, Asia, the Americas, and the Mediterranean, from the very first cities of the Middle East to the pharaohs of ancient Egypt; from early Mexico to the lives of Native American communities today. Experience the richness of the ancient past, gain an understanding of our shared humanity, and find your own place in the arc of human history.

Archaeology and Anthropology

The Penn Museum is the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology.

Archaeology is the study of objects made by humans. From the first traces of our earliest human ancestors to 21st-century buildings, archaeology analyzes the physical remains created or modified by people in pursuit of a broad understanding of our human experience.

Anthropology is the study of humans, past and present. To understand the full sweep and complexity of cultures across all of human history, anthropology draws and builds upon knowledge from social and biological sciences as well as the humanities and physical sciences. [Definition courtesy of the American Anthropological Association]

Source: Museum website