Penn Museum
Founded in 1897, the University Museum of the University of Pennsylvania is one of the world’s leading archaeological research institutes. It is located at 3260 South St, Philadelphia, PA 19104. With a collection of more than 45,000 objects, the Museum focuses on research in the ancient Near East. The Museum’s Egyptian section is conducting excavations at the site of Senwosret III’s temple at Abydos.
Before the Museum was officially founded, significant archaeological material came to Philadelphia. This included material from Egypt, the Middle East, and southern Africa. The Museum acquired objects in a variety of ways, including from dealers, collectors, and Philadelphians.
A number of records relating to the discovery of the sphinx are still preserved in the Museum’s archives. Lizzie Coxe, a prolific writer, kept diaries and wrote letters home, reflecting her love of the Near East. She was also an enthusiastic traveler. Lizzie and her husband Charles gave birth to a son, Eckley Brinton Coxe Jr. in 1872. Several years later, Lizzie gave the body of Charles Coxe to the Museum, where it was returned to Philadelphia.
The University Museum purchased objects from Philadelphians, abroad, and from its own excavations. It also subscribed to the British excavations in Egypt and purchased objects from various dealers. In addition to Egyptian objects, the Museum acquired objects from several other parts of Egypt, including from the Phoenician, Hellenistic, Roman, and Egyptian periods.
The Penn Museum is particularly famous for its Egyptian collection. It contains outstanding pieces of Egyptian history. These include hieroglyphs deciphered by Jean Francois Champollion in 1822 and the Rosetta Stone, which was retranslated by Charles Dickens, who studied at the University of Pennsylvania.
The Museum’s relationship with William Matthew Flinders Petrie, the most prominent Egyptian excavator of the 19th century, remained strong. Petrie was instrumental in the formation of the British School of Archaeology in Egypt in 1906. Petrie left the Egypt Exploration Fund in 1905, but his relationship with the Penn Museum remained close. He was the Museum’s advisor and helped find funding for excavations in Egypt.
The Penn Museum Sphinx, which arrived in 1913, has been an iconic object in the Museum. It remains the largest Egyptian sphinx in the United States. It was installed in the Coxe Egyptian Wing of the Museum and remains a favorite destination for generations of visitors. A new book, The Sphinx That Traveled to Philadelphia: A Centennial History, celebrates the Sphinx’s arrival in Philadelphia and explores its unexpected connections to the city.
The book includes illustrations drawn from the Museum’s archives. It includes text woven around graphics and is designed for a broad audience of adult readers. The book can also be enjoyed by younger readers. Learn more.
The Sphinx That Traveled to Philadelphia provides an entertaining look at the journey of the Sphinx from its discovery in Egypt to its arrival in Philadelphia. It also provides an overview of the Egyptian collection and how it has evolved over the past century. In addition, the book includes a list of past exhibitions and dates. Next article.
