PhD in History of Arts - Ancient Near East and Egyptian in Philadelphia United States | University of Pennsylvania

The University of Pennsylvania has maintained a steadfast dedication to researching ancient Near Eastern civilizations across Mesopotamia, Syria, Iran, and Anatolia for generations. Since the 1800s, the University Museum has conducted archaeological digs throughout the Near East, with Nippur and Ur standing out as particularly significant sites. These excavations yielded countless artifacts that now form the cornerstone of the Penn Museum's collections. Nippur provided cuneiform tablets that anchor the Museum's globally acclaimed Babylonian Tablet Collection, while Ur revealed spectacular finds from its Royal Cemetery—including the complete burial contents of Pu Abi—making it one of the most renowned ancient Near Eastern sites. During the early 1900s, the Museum supported research in northern Iraq (Tepe Gawra) and Iran (Tepe Hissar and Cheshm Ali). This Iranian emphasis grew stronger mid-century when excavations at Hasanlu's burned city and the Elamite capital Anshan significantly expanded the Museum's holdings. These invaluable collections support ongoing research into Mesopotamian and pre-Islamic Iranian art and archaeology by Holly Pittman, the Bok Family Professor in Humanities at the History of Art Department, who also serves as Curator in the Penn Museum's Near East Section.