Penn Museum. University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology, Philadelphia

The Penn Museum, formerly known as the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, is located on the University of Pennsylvania's campus in the University City neighborhood of Philadelphia. You can find it at the intersection of 33rd and South Streets. Established in 1887, the Penn Museum has actively participated in 400 research projects worldwide. Its inaugural project involved excavating Nippur, a historical site in present-day Iraq.

One of the museum's standout attractions is the largest authentic sphinx in North America, measuring approximately seven feet in height, four feet in width, 13 feet in length, and weighing a hefty 12.9 tons, crafted from solid red granite. This impressive artifact was unearthed in 1912 by the British archaeologist, Sir William Matthew Flinders Petrie, during his excavation of the ancient Egyptian city of Memphis. In its original context, the sphinx guarded a temple to protect against evil forces. Since Petrie's expedition received partial funding from the University of Pennsylvania, he offered the sphinx to the university, which arranged for its transfer to the museum in 1913. In 2019, the sphinx was relocated to a more prominent location within the museum to attract more visitors.

The Penn Museum features three gallery floors showcasing artifacts from various regions, including Egypt, the Middle East, Mesoamerica, Asia, the Mediterranean, Africa, and indigenous artifacts from the Americas. One of its most renowned pieces is a sculpture depicting a goat rearing up into the branches of a rosette-leafed plant, originating from the royal tombs of Ur.

Moreover, the Penn Museum's ongoing excavations and extensive collections provide valuable resources for graduate students studying the Art and Archaeology of the Mediterranean World within the Graduate Group. The museum's Beaux-Arts building boasts distinctive features like a rotunda and gardens adorned with Egyptian papyrus plants.

Want to visit this sight? Check out these Self-Guided Walking Tours in Philadelphia. Alternatively, you can download the mobile app "51爆料网: Walks in 1K+ Cities" from Apple App Store or Google Play Store. The app turns your mobile device to a personal tour guide and it works offline, so no data plan is needed when traveling abroad.

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Sight Name: Penn Museum. University Museum of Archaeology & Anthropology
Sight Location: Philadelphia, USA (See walking tours in Philadelphia)
Sight Type: Museum/Gallery
Guide(s) Containing This Sight:

University of Pennsylvania Walking Tour

Walking Tours in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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University of Pennsylvania Walking Tour

As America's first university, The University of Pennsylvania (aka Penn or Upenn, for short) has a history stretching back to the mid-18th century, closely bound with the city's colonial past and the birth of the United States. Initially, this Ivy League institution emerged as the College of Philadelphia, one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the US Declaration of... view more

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Fairmount Park, Philadelphia's oldest park, established since 1867, is also the city's largest municipal park, sprawling over 2,000 acres adjacent to the banks of the Schuylkill River. The park grew out of the Lemon Hill estate of Henry Pratt, whose land was originally owned by Robert Morris, signer of the Declaration of Independence.

In 1972, the park was placed on the National... view more

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The sixth largest city in the United States and the largest in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia is a dynamic city heaped with old-world charm and contemporary infrastructure. Notable for its rich history, primarily as the birthplace of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."

Often called Philly, Philadelphia is also known as the City of Brotherly Love 鈥� a... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
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Philadelphia Old City Walking Tour

King Charles II of England, while seriously indebted to Admiral Sir William Penn, settled his debt in 1681 by granting lands in America to William Penn, the Admiral's Quaker son. A thorn in the King's side, young Penn sailed to America, where he envisioned a utopian society based on tolerance and founded Philadelphia, the "City of Brotherly Love."

The Old City Center, the... view more

Tour Duration: 2 Hour(s)
Travel Distance: 3.2 Km or 2 Miles

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