Public Information

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MAIN ENTRANCE DISPLAY:

2700-year-old leftovers can now be seen at the UPM’s Main Entrance in a display that tells the remarkable story of the discovery of the remains of the funerary feast of the Phrygian "King Midas," Gordion’s most famous son. This discovery, made in the Molecular Archaeology Laboratory of the Museum’s Applied Science Center for Archaeology (MASCA), was first reported upon in 1999; UPM’s involvement in the Gordion site, however, spans more than 50 years. The display features some of the actual remains of the meal (spicy barbequed lamb/goat and lentil stew and a mixed fermented beverage of wine, beer and honey mead) in reproduction bowls, as well as a full-scale replica of one of the tomb’s large cauldrons which held the beverage. Also featured is a plaster cast reproduction of the head of "King Midas," based upon the actual skull of the ruler found in the royal tomb.

ONGOING SPECIAL EXHIBITIONS:

With the construction of the Museum’s Mainwaring Wing for collection storage and study now in full swing, this exhibition of artifacts selected by 22 celebrities on visits to Museum storerooms is a visual reminder of the breadth and depth of the Museum’s vast collections. To realize the exhibition, international celebrities from diverse fields selected their own favorite object or objects to be displayed. Actor Kevin Bacon, Robert Runcie, 102^nd Archbishop of Canterbury, Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Princess of Thailand, composer Philip Glass, and Broadway producer Hal Prince were among those who made selections for the exhibition. 3^rd floor.

Returning from the National Museum of the American Indian in New York City (where The New York Times called it "a knockout presentation,") the University of Pennsylvania Museum’s traveling exhibition of turn-of-the-century Pomo Indian basketry opened in Philadelphia last October, and stays though February. The exhibition explores the complex relationships between art, artist and society, tradition and change, and the outside market forces that influenced this Native American art tradition throughout the nineteenth and into the twentieth century. In the late nineteenth century, once-utilitarian baskets became increasingly refined and ornamented—and increasingly sought after by wealthy collectors. Large, functional burden baskets for carrying heavy loads, cooking baskets, serving baskets, basketry bowls, decorated gift baskets—even miniature baskets made as toys so tiny they fit on a finger tip—are shown in this exhibition, which includes 120 baskets, as well as historic photographs of basket weavers and their families, art dealers and collectors. The exhibition is made possible with funding from the National Endowment for the Humanities, a federal agency, The Pew Charitable Trusts, and the California Humanities Council. 2^nd floor Dietrich Gallery.

In addition, the Museum has three floors of galleries, featuring materials from ancient Egypt, Asia, the Bible Lands and the ancient Near East, the Greco-Roman World, Mesoamerica, North America, Polynesia, and Africa. UPM has two shops—the Museum Shop and the Pyramid Shop for Children—and a Museum Café overlooking inner gardens.

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology is dedicated to the study and understanding of human history and diversity. Founded in 1887, the Museum has sent more than 350 archaeological and anthropological expeditions to all the inhabited continents of the world. With an active exhibition schedule and educational programming for children and adults, the Museum offers the public an opportunity to share in the ongoing discovery of humankind's collective heritage.

UPM is located at 33rd and Spruce Streets in Philadelphia. The Museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 1 to 5 p.m. on Sundays; closed Mondays, holidays and summer Sundays from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Museum admission donation is $5 adults; $2.50 senior citizens and students with ID; free to Museum members, children under 6, and University of Pennsylvania staff, students and faculty with a PENNcard, and FREE Sundays, September 10, 2000 through May 20, 2001. Visit the Museum’s website at www.upenn.edu/museum or call (215) 898-4000 for general information.