Art Museum Journal

By STAN PARCHIN
July 7, 2009
 
Between 1922 and 1934, archaeologist Sir C. Leonard Woolley (1880-1960) led the excavation of the ancient site of Ur in southern Iraq. The expedition was jointly sponsored by the University of Pennsylvania Museum and the British Museum. The team uncovered a 4,500-year-old Sumerian royal cemetery that contained more than 2,000 burials.
 
Penn Museum's exhibition of world-famous artifacts from the royal tombs of Ur includes: a Bull-headed Lyre; the Ram in a Thicket (actually a goat); and the elaborate gold headdress, jewelry and accessories of Queen Puabi. All date to ca. 2650-2550 B.C.
 
The presentation compares Woolley's historic findings with those of modern-day scholars. It also examines Iraq's plight to preserve its rich cultural heritage in light of the country's current political turmoil.
 
"Discovering Iraq's Ancient Past: Reinvestigating Ur's Royal Cemetery" opens at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology on October 25, 2009.