PBK's Spent a Day at the Penn Museum Focused on Eastern Mediterranean Archeology

On March 18, 2023, PBK's and family/friends enjoyed a private guided tour of of Penn Museum's Eastern Mediterranean Gallery, highlighting the Museum’s excavated collections in their historical context and how the area’s rich, complex history is providing new evidence that transforms what we think we know about an area comprising Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the Palestinian Territories, and Cyprus - a hub of creativity and a great crossroads in history, where diverse people and cultures connected through trade, migration, religion, and empire, with both co-existence and conflict.  

     After a light lunch at the Museum cafe, Stephen Phillips, Ph.D., Curatorial Research Coordinator, Egyptian Section, spoke to the group about the archeological ancient city of Petra, “a rose-red city half as old as Time,” nestled in a mountainous basin in a remote, rugged corner of Jordan. As one of the “new seven wonders of the ancient world,” Petra is famous for its more than 800 rock-cut tombs and monuments, including a Roman theater capable of seating as many as 8,500 people. Archaeological investigations at Petra continue to the present day including continuing at the dig site that Dr. Phillips worked on at the Temple of the Winged Lions, as the group learned about excavation techniques, life on an archaeological dig, and whether real-life archaeology is anything like the movies. Many thanks to Event Sponsor, PBK DV Member James T. Fox, IV.