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

For over a century, the University of Pennsylvania has maintained a strong dedication to researching ancient Near Eastern civilizations across Mesopotamia, Syria, Iran, and Anatolia. The University Museum has conducted numerous excavations in the region since the 1800s, with Nippur and Ur standing out as particularly significant sites. These digs 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 all artifacts from Queen Pu Abi's tomb - one of the most famous ancient Near Eastern discoveries. During the early 1900s, the Museum supported archaeological work 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 of Anshan significantly expanded the Museum's holdings. These invaluable collections support ongoing research by Holly Pittman, the Bok Family Professor in Humanities (History of Art Department), who also serves as Curator of the Penn Museum's Near East Section, focusing on Mesopotamian art and pre-Islamic Iranian archaeology.