Expedition Volume 61 No. 1, Spring 2019

®

THE MAGAZINE OF THE UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA MUSEUM OF ARCHAEOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY

SPRING 2019 | VOLUME 61, NUMBER 1

THE STORY OF THE TOKUGAWA LANTERNS A Comet Shall Shine Forth | The History of Halley’s Comet | Understanding Ancient Disease

get ready to experience

A Grand Transformation  T he renovation of our Harrison Auditorium is well underway, including the refurbishment of the Art Deco-style seats. There is still time to support this important part of our Building Transformation!

We invite our members and friends to  name a seat in this historic space. For a gift of $2,500, your name (or the name of an honoree of your choice) will be installed on an elegant metal plaque on a beautifully refurbished Auditorium seat.* We look forward to celebrating the reopening  of this beloved space with you this fall, including a special event for Name a Seat supporters. For more information, please call Kristen Lauerman at 215.573.5251 or email lauerman@upenn.edu.

* Payment may be made in up to four installments by June 30, 2020.

SPRING 2019 | VOLUME 61, NUMBER 1

Contents 12 A Comet Shall Shine Forth: A Bronze Belt from an Etruscan Tomb

By Jean MacIntosh Turfa

Departments 2 From the Editor 3 From the Director

22 H alley’s Comet:

4 At the Museum

A Frequent Guest in Earth’s Cosmic Backyard

10 Gallery Sneak Peek

By Christina Griffith

49 Favorite Object

28 Th e Tale of the Tokugawa Artifacts:

50 From the Field

Japanese Funerary Lanterns at the Penn Museum

52 In the Labs

By Yoko Nishimura

54 Research Notes

40 A Journey into the Human Body:

56 Global Classroom

Studying Mummies to Understand Ancient Disease

58 Member News

By Michael R. Zimmerman

61 Museum News 64 Portrait ON THE COVER:

PENN MUSEUM 3260 South Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104-6324 Telephone: 215.898.4000 Website: www.penn.museum Hours Tuesday–Sunday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm Open until 8:00 pm on first Wednesdays.

Closed Mondays and major holidays.

Admission Penn Museum members: Free; PennCard holders (Penn faculty, staff, and students): Free; Active US military personnel with ID: Free; Adults: $15.00; Seniors: $13.00; Children (6-17) and students with ID: $10.00

Tours Docents offer tours most Saturdays and Sundays at 1:30 pm. Check the Museum website for topics. Group discounts and docent-led tours are available for groups of 10 or more with reservations.

Museum Library Open to the general public with ID. Call 215.898.4021 for information and hours.

The Tokugawa lanterns studied by Yoko Nishimura (see page 28) were first displayed at the Zōjōji Temple in Tokyo. The temple is depicted in this Japanese woodblock print from 1857—Zojoji Pagoda and Akabane, No. 53 from One Hundred Famous Views of Edo—by the artist Utagawa Hiroshige (Ando). Image from the Library of Congress. above :

The bronze belt with the comet(s) described in the first article, along with other grave goods, was recovered from Tomb 42F at Vulci, an important Etruscan city. Here is the archaeological site of Vulci as it appears today. Photo from Wikimedia.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

1

FROM THE EDITOR

Sixty Years of Expedition

EDITOR

Jane Hickman, Ph.D. ASSOCIATE EDITOR

Christina Griffith ART DIRECTOR

Matt Todd

I

n the fall of 1958, the first issue of Expedition magazine was published by the Penn Museum. Contents included an article by Rodney Young on the excavation of the Midas Mound at Gordion, a recounting by Marianne Stoller of early voyages to Pacific islands, and news about an important Maya monument recently unearthed by Edwin Shook at Tikal.

An editorial by Froelich Rainey, then Director of the Museum, noted that Expedition would replace the University Museum Bulletin. This new magazine was designed not as an academic journal for scholars but as a way to communicate the Museum’s work to our visitors and supporters. At that time, archaeology and anthropology were beginning to capture the public’s imagination. Rainey wanted us to contribute to this renewed interest in the ancient and modern world.

Sixty years later, we continue to tell stories about Museum excavations and anthropological research. Sometimes we explore new ground, but often our research is within the Museum, as we rediscover and reinterpret objects in our collection. The current issue includes new findings on a bronze belt prominently displayed in our Etruscan Gallery, an exploration of the history and significance of 17th-century Japanese funerary lanterns that enhanced the Museum entrance in the 1930s, and a discussion of the evidence of disease that can be uncovered in the study of Egyptian mummies.

As Expedition enters its 61st year, please let us know what you enjoy about your magazine and how we can add even more content to help you explore our world. Call me at 215.898.4124 or write me at jhickman@ upenn.edu. I look forward to hearing from you.

jane hickman, ph.d. editor

COPY EDITOR

Page Selinsky, Ph.D. PUBLISHER

Amanda Mitchell-Boyask ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER

Alyssa Connell, Ph.D.

PHOTOGRAPHY

Francine Sarin Jennifer Chiappardi Tom Stanley Celina Candrella (unless noted otherwise) EDITORIAL ADVISORS

Jessica Bicknell Marie-Claude Boileau, Ph.D. Yael N. Eytan Kate Fox Therese Marmion Ellen Owens Alessandro Pezzati Kate Quinn Tena Thomason Steve Tinney, Ph.D. INSTITUTIONAL OUTREACH MANAGER

Darragh Nolan ACADEMIC ADVISORY BOARD

Simon Martin, Ph.D. Janet Monge, Ph.D. Lauren Ristvet, Ph.D. C. Brian Rose, Ph.D. Steve Tinney, Ph.D. Jennifer Houser Wegner, Ph.D. © Penn Museum, 2019

Expedition® (ISSN 0014-4738) is published three times a year by the Penn Museum.

Editorial inquiries should be addressed to the Editor at jhickman@upenn.edu. Inquiries regarding delivery of Expedition should be directed to membership@pennmuseum.org.

Unless otherwise noted, all images are courtesy of the Penn Museum.

2

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

FROM THE DIRECTOR

The Sphinx Is On The Move Dear Friends, It is my great pleasure to share the monumental news: our iconic Sphinx of Ramesses II is on the move. For the first time in 93 years, the Sphinx will leave his perch in the lower Egyptian gallery and travel across the Museum to take up his new, more visible post at the heart of the new Main Entrance Hall. Facing the entrance, the Sphinx will be the first thing visitors see when they step through our doors. He will welcome them to the Museum and start their visit with that sense of wonder we all experience walking through the galleries which illuminate so many facets of our human story. For more on the Sphinx’s journey, which will take place in June, please see this issue’s “At the Museum.”

The mascot of our Building Transformation—just as he has been the unofficial mascot of our Museum for so many years—the Sphinx will be unveiled in his new home for the first time during our Golden Gala on November 9. Guests at this very special event will see even more—the new Africa Galleries and Mexico and Central America Gallery, the Gateway to Egypt, the renovated Harrison Auditorium, and the new amenities that will make this Museum fully accessible to all. It will be a new visitor experience across the main level, from the Middle East Galleries all the way to the Gift Shop. I hope that you will be able to join us for the celebration; for ticket information, please visit www.penn.museum/gala. And of course, we look forward to celebrating the transformation with our members at other special events this fall— more details will follow.

At its foundation, our Building Transformation is about sharing our remarkable collections in new, and newly accessible, ways. I am also pleased to tell you that we are renovating the Archives corridor to create a new exhibition space for our two-dimensional holdings, especially from our Archives, such as important but seldomdisplayed vintage silver gelatin prints by renowned

above :

Provost Wendell Pritchett, GR97; Williams Director Julian Siggers; Campaign Co-Chair Jill Topkis Weiss, C89, WG93, PAR; President Amy Gutmann; Campaign Co-Chair Peter Ferry, C79, LPS20, PAR; and Board Chair Mike Kowalski, W74, PAR celebrated with the Sphinx during the groundbreaking for the Museum’s Building Transformation project on November 1, 2017.

photographers. This space will round out our new main level, which really will exemplify the new Penn Museum.

As we begin to approach the completion of our first phase of construction, I want to thank you for your support during this time of change, and for sharing our excitement at what is to come. Thank you—I look forward to seeing many of you at our Summer Nights concerts before we celebrate the Building Transformation this fall.

Warm regards,

julian siggers, ph.d. williams director

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

3

AT THE MUSEUM

Building Transformation A SPHINX AT THE THRESHOLD

A

new Main Entrance Hall, created by the removal of the wide staircase leading down to the Harrison Auditorium, is the central feature of the Penn Museum’s construction project concluding this fall, which also includes a full restoration of the historic Auditorium and its lobby area, the creation of a new, light-filled pathway to the famed Egyptian Galleries, and the addition of the new elevators and restrooms. The spaces transformed by this first phase construction project will reopen, alongside the Africa and Mexico and Central America Galleries, in a festive celebration over the weekend of November 16 and 17.

Presiding at the heart of this new Hall, the Museum’s unofficial mascot and favorite 13-ton colossus will greet visitors as they step through our Kamin Main Entrance doors this fall: the red granite Sphinx of Ramesses II, the largest sphinx in the western hemisphere.

In June, the Sphinx will make slow and stately progress through the Museum, from the lower gallery of the Coxe (Egyptian) Wing to his place in the new Main Entrance Hall. This journey, however, is far from the first the Sphinx has taken. After crossing the ocean from Memphis, Egypt, he was greeted by an excited public in 1913 as he docked at the Delaware and slowly made his way across the city to the Museum, where he was met by an enthusiastic parade of Penn students. His first home at the Museum was in the Warden Garden before being moved inside to the space that was the Main Entrance Hall in 1916. For ten years, the Sphinx greeted visitors while the Coxe Wing was planned and constructed; he then made his final move of the 20th century, in 1926, to the center of the lower Egyptian gallery. Now, nearly a century later, the Sphinx will take one more journey, to the heart of the new Main Entrance Hall.

left : The new Main Entrance Hall, with the Sphinx at its heart.

Rendering by Haley Sharpe Design.

4

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

AT THE MUSEUM

above :

Moving a colossus: this map by architects Gluckman Tang shows the route the Sphinx will take across the inner courtyard garden.

His move is scheduled for the week beginning June 10; visitors will be able to watch his (slow) progress from the Museum Café.

To the left of the Sphinx in the new Hall, an elegant keyhole-shaped space will make a perfect display for a single, iconic object; one of the two new elevators will flank his right, serving the Harrison Auditorium and new cloakrooms and lockers below, and the dramatic China Rotunda Gallery above.

The large, airy space behind the Sphinx will be a new and much-used venue for public programs and Museum and Penn special events, seating up to 100 for dinner and accommodating more for cocktail or stand-up recep-

tions. In this space, against the Rotunda wall, will be a large display showcasing iconic objects from each of the Museum’s curatorial sections, to serve as a compelling introduction to our collections. To the right will be a new visitor lounge, where comfortable chairs and tables with Museum books and activities for children will invite visitors to pause and orient themselves during public opening hours, and be removable to accommodate programs and special events at other times.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

5

AT THE MUSEUM

New Student Exhibition MEMORY KEEPERS: WHY OBJECTS MATTER OPENED MARCH 28, 2019

T

hree Penn student curators have worked since September with Museum staff to create a small exhibition inspired by the Penn Provost’s 2018–19 Reading Project: The Year of Why. Madison Greiner (C19, PAFA–Penn Fine Arts), Megan McKelvey (C20, Biological Anthropology & Music), and Malkia Okech (C19, Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations) have learned first-hand about the curatorial, content development, administrative, and design aspects of staging a new exhibition. During the year-long, paid internship, they planned, developed, designed, fabricated, and installed a small exhibition located on the first floor. After the exhibition opening, they will implement educational programs and events for the Museum’s public and academic audiences.

The exhibition was inspired by this year’s Penn-selected reading of Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Bridge of San Luis Rey (1927). Working closely with curatorial advisor Lucy Fowler Williams, Ph.D., Associate Curator and Sabloff Keeper of Collections in the American Section, and Anne Tiballi, Ph.D., Mellon Director of Academic Engagement, the students explored the agency of objects and reflected on a series of questions such as, what kinds of objects bring meaning to people’s lives? How are these meanings activated in their social contexts? Do object materials play a role?

And, ultimately, why do objects matter? Eventually the team settled on 11 remarkable objects that hold powerful memories of individuals and communities through time and around the globe.

Students (from the left) Madison Greiner, Malkia Okech, and Megan McKelvey, with some of the objects they selected for Memory Keepers.

6

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

AT THE MUSEUM

Now Open ANCIENT EGYPT: FROM DISCOVERY TO DISPLAY

I

n the special exhibition Ancient Egypt: From Discovery to Display, opened in February, visitors trace the path of some of our most popular artifacts; explore themes like kingship, deities, daily life, and the afterlife; speak with conservators about their work on these artifacts; see Egyptian artifacts in open storage; and learn more about ancient Egypt and Penn’s excavations there.

Curated by Jennifer Houser Wegner, Ph.D., Associate Curator in the Egyptian Section, this special exhibition is located in Pepper Hall and the Changing Exhibition Galleries on the third floor.

above :

Visitors can chat with conservators during open window hours in the Artifact Lab section of the exhibition from 11:00–11:30 am and 1:30–2:00 pm weekdays, and from 12:00–12:30 pm and 3:00–3:30 pm on weekends.

above : At the opening weekend events, visitors enjoyed viewing a plethora of objects in visible storage, and highlighted objects not previously displayed, including this model sailboat from the tomb of a man named Khentkhety at the site of Sedment.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

7

AT THE MUSEUM

Programs, Tours, and Events

above :

Guests explore the Museum’s new Middle East Galleries as part of a Highlights of the Collection tour in Mandarin language.

in addition to free, hour-long public tours exploring a changing roster of galleries and themes on Saturdays and Sundays, the Penn Museum is pleased to now offer an hour-long Highlights of the Collection tour in Mandarin language, on Fridays from 2:30–3:30 pm.

Groups of 10 or more can schedule a private group tour at discounted admission; tours arranged in advance are offered in Mandarin, Japanese, Spanish, French, Italian, Hebrew, and Arabic, as well as English.

Mandarin language tours were among a wide array of activities offered on Lunar New Year, held January 19 to celebrate one of the most important and festive holidays in many Asian communities around the world.

A family-friendly afternoon festival featured traditional dance and music, contemporary Asian film, tangram workshops, martial arts demonstrations, storytelling, calligraphy, and art-making; then, as day gave way to evening, guests enjoyed cocktails and performances ranging from stand-up comedy to ancestral chamber pop music and Taiko drumming.

The previous month’s CultureFest, Winter Solstice, celebrated the shared wonder of light across cultures, with a winter market, art activities, food, tours, and performances, and an evening cocktail mixer and dance party as well as a spectacular fire-dance in the Garden.

Anthropologists in the Making Summer Camp at the Penn Museum, for children ages 7–13, begins Monday, June 24, with a themed week of activities “Exploring Ancient Cities.” Junior Anthropologists (aged 6, who will be entering first grade in fall 2019) can join the fun with their own camp starting July 8, with the themed week “Adventurous Animals and Cunning Creatures.”

To register or for more information on either camp, please email summercamp@pennmuseum.org. left : Fire dancers Lola Strange and Mistress Lilith lit up the winter evening in the Museum’s Warden Garden, at the Winter Solstice CultureFest on December 8.

8

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

AT THE MUSEUM

At Lunar New Year, musicians Qin Qian (left, on the traditional erhu) and Kurt Jung (right, on gu-zheng) played western music on eastern instruments.

Summer programs for all ages kick off Monday, July 2, when the Penn Museum invites all of Philadelphia to explore history for free, as part of the annual Wawa Welcome America Philadelphia festival.

For information on other family and adult programs, visit www.penn.museum/programs, or sign up for our e-newsletter at www.penn.museum to have new and upcoming program announcements delivered to your inbox. right :

As afternoon activities gave way to evening, Lunar New Year attendees enjoyed Kyo Daiko’s Philadelphia Community Taiko Drumming group, some of them even trying the instruments for themselves after the performance.

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

9

GALLERY SNEAK PEEK

Africa Galleries they are often called “gold weights,” but they are actually made of brass, cast using the lost wax process. These detailed, animated figures were used as standards to weigh gold dust. Some depict animals such as porcupines, fish, and snakes, or more mundane items like coiled rope and knives. Others are geometric symbols. Our collection includes a variety of human figures: standing, seated, mounted, and in groups. In the former Africa Galleries, these objects were a popular attraction.

While the new Galleries are being built, the weights have been under conservators’ care for cleaning before they are exhibited again. They will be a part of a new section illustrating currency and exchange across the continent.

1.

2.

5.

3.

6.

4.

7.

this page : (1.) The conservator gently cleans the weights—some are simple and others are quite elaborate. The large weight (PM object 779-2) is of a king being carried by attendants with an umbrella held over his head; (2.) Geometric design on brass Ashanti weight, PM object AF2531A; (3.) Brass open work shield, PM object AF2672; (4.) Coiled snake, PM object AF2436; (5.) A bird standing on a pyramid-shaped base, PM object AF2462; (6.) A quirky mudfish, PM object AF2406; and (7.) A stylized fish, PM object AF2415.

10

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

GALLERY SNEAK PEEK

Mexico and Central America Gallery the living arts of Maya dance masks and clothing highlight cultural continuity through time, yet also tell dramatic stories of change, resistance, and resilience through centuries of colonization, environmental disasters, political unrest, and globalization. Maya dance has evolved with humor and satire in Highland Guatemala where wooden masks are danced regularly in complex dramas. For generations Maya clothing has adapted to influences from far and wide. New selections from the Museum’s rich collection will be rotated into the Gallery each year including these women’s cotton and silk huipils (blouses). The new Gallery will explore some of their stories.

1.

3.

2.

this page :

4.

(1.) K’iche’ Maya folk hero Tecún Umán mask, PM object 48-4-15; (2.) Bull mask, PM object 86-49-1; (3.) Huipil from Totonicapán with embroidered quetzals, PM object 85-2-38; and (4.) Huipil from San Martín Jilotepeque, PM object 42-35-281.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

11

A COM E T SHALL SHINE FORTH A BRON Z E BE LT F ROM AN ETRUSCAN TOMB by jean macintosh turfa

above :

Etruscan bronze belt from Vulci Tomb 42F, dated to the 7th century BCE. Missing one end and mended from several fragments, the wearer’s waist—measured over wool homespun garments—would have measured over 26 inches.

PM object MS691.

12

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

A depiction of a comet may have been discovered on an artifact in the Museum’s Etruscan collection. This rare narrative artwork tells the story of people trying to make sense of astronomical events. Far from unusual, the ancients left behind many artifacts and images that tell us they were observing the skies as much as we do today.

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

13

The Etruscan Brontoscopic Calendar (ca. 8th to 7th centuries BCE) was circulated in the 1st century BCE

by Publius Nigidius Figulus, a friend of Cicero whose Etruscan ancestry led him to translate an archaic Etruscan religious text into Latin for his contemporaries to study.

It predicts an uncommon omen for May 27: “If it thunders, there shall be prodigies, and a comet shall shine forth.” And on May 28: “If it thunders, it shall be the same.”

14

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

A COMET SHALL SHINE FORTH

C

omets were rare apparitions for ancient observers, understood as special messengers from the gods, like the comet that appeared during the funeral games for the assassinated Julius Caesar. His heir, Octavian, circulated special coins depicting it as a sign of Caesar’s deification. Mithradates VI, charismatic enemy of Rome, would commemorate his birth in 135/134 BCE with coins depicting the great comet that blazed that year, and another that appeared in 119 BCE when he took the throne of Pontus. The Star of Bethlehem, depicted by Giotto in the Nativity scene in the Arena Chapel, Padua (1305), is another comet-harbinger. In modern times Halley’s Comet was remarked on by authors like Mark Twain and commemorated with all sorts of memorabilia.

Comets have inspired art as well as literature. Many diverse cultures have been fascinated with—and attempted to discover meaning in—comets. In the north of Italy in the Final Bronze to Iron Age (ca. 1000 BCE), unnamed artists carved what looks like a comet with two curved tails on the outcrop of Rock 35 in the Valcamonica region, near what is today Nadro di Ceto, Brescia, Italy. The simple figure seems similar, though unrelated, to two-tailed comets illustrated in the beautiful Silk Texts from Tomb 3 at Mawangdui (Hunan, China). Sealed into a royal tomb in 168 BCE, they furnish an illustrated typology of comets seen over China and linked with specific omens.

two in a very rare narrative scene depicted in repoussé, the technique of hammering a raised pattern up from the back surface of a metal sheet. In fact, a set of bronze belts—confining to wear and probably only used for ceremonial costumes—had been placed in Vulci Tomb 42F, along with a cinerary urn (its contents not preserved), 22 ceramic vases, and a pair of roasting spits fashioned to imitate spears, perhaps symbolic of the deceased presiding at banquets as hostess for a warrior husband. Today a green patina obscures their surfaces but in antiquity they would have been brightly polished and golden in color, with fine leather backing. One of the two belts is in the preferred lozenge-shape, decorated with punched horses, an aristocratic symbol. The second narrow, ribbon-like belt has round bosses with raised concentric circles and textile-like patterns of dots and lines as borders, but one end, with the hook to fasten the belt, has a starburst boss and two tiny stick figures with arms akimbo—representing humans who gesture in awe, fear, or jubilation.

The combination of images, read from right to left as ancient Etruscans read their language, tells a story.

At the beginning, at the wearer’s left side, the starburst is linked to a plain boss by opposing zigzag lines that look suspiciously like Egyptian symbols for water, known in Etruria from Egyptian-inspired gold work brought by the Phoenicians. Following the humans, a pair of bosses frame two upright, opposed water-signs, and in the last portion of the story, on the far end of the belt,

A Bronze Belt in the Museum Collection

above left :

A slim sheet-bronze belt buried with an Etruscan noblewoman in the 7th century BCE and now in the Etruscan Gallery in the Penn Museum may feature a comet or

Halley’s Comet as seen in March 1986. Photo by NASA. Rock 35 from Area di Foppe, Nadro di Ceto, Italy. An image of a comet appears to be cut into the rock. Photo courtesy of Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici, Dipartimento Valcamonica e Lombardia, by Umberto Sansoni.

above right :

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

15

A COMET SHALL SHINE FORTH

above :

Etruscan bronze belt, lozenge-shape, adorned with horses, from Vulci Tomb 42F. On display in the Etruscan Gallery, Penn Museum. PM object MS690. left: Line drawing of the horse belt, PM object MS690, from Turfa 2005: 101, fig. 30.

above :

Etruscan cinerary chest from the late 3rd century BCE. Effigy depicts the divination priest Arnth Remzna. PM object MS2458AB.

are two bosses each with a set of parallel, hooked rays fanning out toward the men. If the first boss behind the people is the sun, surely the last two are comets; the final boss has thin lines emanating from it like light rays. Perhaps the plainer, interim boss relates to the omen of a comet that “shall be the same,” in other words a second day’s appearance of the cosmic visitor, or possibly the sort of blazing meteor that can be thrown off by a passing comet.

Narrative scenes with human figures are extremely rare in the art of Iron Age central Italy; their production must have been inspired by some special circumstance or commission. Likewise, while known from female burials at Narce and Veii, the ribbon-like belt form, so familiar to us, is uncommon in the costume of archaic Etruria. Curiously, Halley’s comet passed

by Earth in 695 BCE; the lady of Vulci Tomb 42F was alive then, and probably only buried around continued on page 20

16

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

A COMET SHALL SHINE FORTH

top : Detail of MS691, perhaps showing two comets with tails. worn primarily for ceremonies. PM object MS691.

above :

A leather backing was attached to the bronze belt, which would have been

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

17

A COMET SHALL SHINE FORTH

Two possible comets

18

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

Section of belt detail seen above

A COMET SHALL SHINE FORTH

Appearance of a Cosmic Visitor above :

Detail from MS691, of a starburst and a figure with arms raised in awe. Finely decorated Etruscan-made bronze goods were praised even by the Greeks. Many household items and personal possessions were made in bronze. left: Line drawing of the belt with comets, PM object MS691, from Turfa 2005: 102, fig 31.

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

19

A COMET SHALL SHINE FORTH

above :

“Isti mirant stellam” Halley’s Comet in the Bayeux Tapestry (center, top), related to the event of 1066 CE. Photo by DIT Archive/Alamy.

680 BCE or later. The design of the Halley’s Comet apparition in the Bayeux Tapestry, presaging the demise of the Saxon kingdom in 1066, looks a bit like the belt’s images. Did the visit of Halley’s Comet represent a significant place in her life, or might she have been a priestess involved in divination of such events? Even the repeating imagery might relate to the omen of “same again.” In the absence of Etruscan literature, we cannot know the answers. No written records are known for the comet of 695 BCE, although Chinese astronomers documented later visits. In addition, a Babylonian cuneiform tablet from 168–164 BCE now in the British Museum is believed to record a sighting of Halley’s.

It seems that the collection of Etruscan tomb groups excavated for the Penn Museum in the 1890s still holds some surprises for us today. Ä

20

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

note: an earlier report on this discovery appeared in the winter 2018 issue of etruscan news. jean macintosh turfa , ph . d.,

is a specialist in Etruscan art and archaeology and Consulting Scholar in the Mediterranean Section at the Penn Museum. for further reading

Dohan, E.H., Italic Tomb Groups in the University Museum.

Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 1942, pp. 93–97, pls. 49–50.

Turfa, J.M., Catalogue of the Etruscan Gallery. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Museum, 2005, pp. 100–103.

Turfa, J.M., Divining the Etruscan World. The Brontoscopic Calendar and Religious Practice. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2012.

A COMET SHALL SHINE FORTH

Sign of Caesar’s Deification top :

Obverse of silver denarius of Octavian, 17 BCE, Iberian issue: “Divus Iulius” (Julius Caesar). right: On the reverse of the denarius, the comet that appeared during his funeral games in July 44 BCE is depicted. Note the directional tail on the upper portion of the coin.

PM object 29-126-887.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

21

S ’ Y E L L HA above :

Halley’s Comet and its detailed tail. It shows the full range of features characteristic of a well-developed ion tail, including tail rays, condensations, a kink, a general helical structure (which shows only as a waviness on the print), and perhaps a disconnection event in which a part of the ion tail separates and the comet begins to develop a new tail.

Photo by B.A.E. Inc./Alamy.

22

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

T E M O C A Frequent Guest in Earth’s Cosmic Backyard by christina griffith

E

very 75 years or so, Halley’s Comet, also known as Comet Halley, passes through Earth’s neighborhood along its orbit. Since the dawn of man, many humans have been fortunate enough to see it twice in their lifetimes.

American astronomer Fred Whipple coined the phrase “dirty snowball” to describe the composition of comets we are familiar with today. Comets are made of ice, dust, and small particles of rock. They are solar system bodies that usually orbit the sun in highly eccentric orbits that could take them millions of years to complete. Comets that take less than 200 years to make the journey, like Halley’s, are called periodic. When these cosmic travelers pass closer to the sun, the warmth heats the icy nucleus and it begins to release gasses. This

produces the characteristic “coma,” or what we call the comet’s tail.

Civilizations around the world have recorded the regular appearance of Halley’s Comet. The first confirmed sighting is believed to have been made by Chinese astronomers in 239 BCE, documented in the Shih Chi and Wen Hsien Thung Khao chronicles. However, in 2010 researchers with Brigham Young University at Provo, Utah reviewed Greek histories describing a meteor strike in the Hellespont region between 468 and 466 BCE, which occurred at the same time as a comet sighting. Based on the timing and trajectory above :

Halley’s Comet pictured in 1986 during its most recent pass by Earth. Photo by NASA Archive/Alamy.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

23

HALLEY’S COMET

above :

A translation of an astronomical diary written in cuneiform and dated 164 BCE reads “The comet which previously had appeared in the east in the path of Anu in the area of Pleiades and Taurus, to the west [...] and passed along in the path of Ea.” From the British Museum, object 41462.

of the comet described, this might possibly be the earliest recorded sighting of Comet Halley.

The Babylonians documented astronomical observations in cuneiform texts called astronomical diaries.

Only a handful survive, but archaeologists have discovered tablets and fragments that date from ca. 750 BCE to possibly as late as 75 CE. Though heavily damaged, what remains of these texts tells us the Babylonians had meticulously mapped the sky and made daily observations of the movements of celestial bodies. In both 164 and 87 BCE the Babylonians recorded the apparition of a comet.

Researchers have been able to use the astronomical data about the path and timing of the sightings to confirm these were both Comet Halley.

Roman records first document the appearance in 12 BCE and again in 66 CE by Flavius Josephus. This apparition was considered a harbinger of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem.

It was the return of Halley’s Comet in 1066 CE that cemented its place in the annals of historic omens. Its appearance in the skies that winter was taken as a portent of bad news for Anglo-Saxon King Harold II. William the Conqueror would lead the Norman invaders to victory months later at the Battle of Hastings.

Identifying Halley’s Comet Edmund Halley (1656–1742), a British astronomer, mathematician, and physicist, determined in the 17th century that the comet that passed overhead in 1531, 1607, and 1682 was the same body. He was an accomplished scientist who throughout his career made invaluable contributions to star charts, recorded Mercury’s transit across the sun, and calculated the size of the solar system based on Venus’s orbit. A protégé of Sir Isaac Newton, Halley made observations to prove Newton’s laws of motion and funded the publication of the Principia Mathematica. From an observatory on Saint Helena island in the southern Atlantic in September of 1682 he observed the same comet reported 75 and 76 years earlier, calculated its orbit, and predicted its return.

The comet was named after him posthumously when it appeared, as he predicted, in 1758. above :

17th century engraving depicting Halley’s Comet passing over Jerusalem in 66 CE. The event was considered a harbinger of the Roman destruction of Jerusalem. Image by World History Archive/Alamy.

24

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

opposite :

Halley’s comet seen in 1066 CE. Appearance of comets were traditionally linked to disasters. Image by Lebrecht Music & Arts/Alamy.

HALLEY’S COMET

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

25

HALLEY’S COMET

above :

Drawn by Edmund Halley in 1700, this map (detail shown) was the first to include isogonic lines, showing navigators the angle between the Earth’s magnetic north and true north. Courtesy of Princeton University Library.

Incidentally, the name “Halley” is traditionally pronounced like valley. It is believed that the American pronunciation is due to an association with the 1950s band Bill Haley and his Comets. Halley’s Comet’s last pass was in 1986, which was unfortunately a poor opportunity to observe the comet for Earth-dwellers: not only were we on opposite sides of the sun, but the comet was relatively far away compared to earlier passages, and our modern visibility was diminished by pollution.

Fortunately, for the first time in human history, we were able to go to it. The Soviet Union, the European Space Agency, and Japan launched probes to study and photograph the comet. The International Cometary Explorer, a satellite launched in 1978 in a heliocentric orbit to study solar winds and earth’s magnetosphere, was repurposed in 1982 to intercept comets. It flew through Halley’s tail, collecting vital data. Our next opportunity to see Comet Halley will be in 2061. Ä christina griffith

is Associate Editor of Expedition.

for further reading

above :

Album covers from the band Bill Haley and his Comets, ca. 1950s. Produced by Essex Records, images by Bear Family Records.

26

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

Edwards, L. “First sighting of Halley’s Comet pushed back two centuries.” PhysOrg, September 13, 2010. https://phys.org/ news/2010-09-sighting-halleys-comet-centuries.html#jCp Graham, D.W. and E. Hintz. “An Ancient Greek Sighting of Halley’s Comet?” Journal of Cosmology 9 (2010): 2130–2136. journalofcosmology.com/AncientAstronomy106.html Stephenson, F.R., K.K.C. Yau, and H. Hunger. “Records of Halley’s Comet on Babylonian tablets.” Nature 314 (1985): 18.

HALLEY’S COMET

above :

A composite photo of Halley’s Comet in 1986, taken through the GPO telescope. Photo by ESO/ Wikimedia Commons.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

27

above :

The Mausoleum of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu, with whom Keishō-in had a son, the fifth shogun of the Tokugawa shogunate of Japan, Tsunayoshi. Note the elaborate bronze funerary lantern. Photo by Coward Lion/Alamy. opposite center : The Tokugawa family crest.

Image from the Dover Pictorial Archive.

28

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

THE TALE OF THE

TOKUGAWA ART I FAC TS •

•

JA PA NESE FU NER A RY L A N T ER NS AT T HE PEN N MUSEU M The fortunate arrival at the Penn Museum in 1919 of a pair of bronze lanterns from Japan’s Edo period has only recently been fully appreciated. The lanterns—rare historical treasures in the Museum’s collection—provide insight into the delicate place and power of women in elite Japanese society during that time.

• BY YOKO N ISHI M U R A •

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

29

above :

A photograph taken around 1930 shows the Keishō-in bronze lanterns flanking the Museum entrance in the Lower (now Stoner) Courtyard. PM image 13468, PM objects A1829 (left) and A1828 (right).

30

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

a bronze dedicatory lantern that previously stood at the back of the quiet inner courtyard of the Penn Museum waited many years for its significance to be rediscovered. It is one of the Tokugawa lanterns that long illuminated the shogunate family’s grand mausoleums during the Edo period (1603–1868 CE) in the Zōjōji temple in Tokyo, Japan.

Photographs taken around 1930 show the lanterns flanking the Museum entrance in the Stoner Courtyard. The prominent placement of these objects suggests that, in those days, the Museum acknowledged the significance of the lanterns. One of the lanterns was subsequently moved to Museum storage after suffering damage from an act of vandalism in the 1950s or 1960s. Although it is not clear exactly when the lanterns left Japan and arrived in the United States, Stephen Lang, Lyons Keeper in the Asian Section at the Museum, has determined that the lanterns came into the Museum collection as a loan in 1919 from Mrs. Richard Waln Meirs (Anne Walker Weightman Meirs Rush, 1871–1958). They may have been sent from Japan by Mrs. Meirs’ uncle, Robert Jarvis Cochran Walker in the late 1880s to be displayed at Meirs’ Ravenhill Mansion.

The lantern that recently stood in the Museum courtyard faced the wrong way. Consequently, its inscription could not be easily read. This inscription states that the donor is Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu (1659–1714 CE), a famous feudal lord loyal to the fifth shogun. Shoguns were the military generals who controlled the shogunate government, which lasted until 1868. During the Edo period, each shogun was born from the Tokugawa clan.

Yanagisawa is also known for his possible involvement as the mastermind in the famous historical event referred to as the revenge of the Forty-Seven Rōnin, in which a band of Rōnin (masterless samurai) acted in accordance with the warrior code and avenged the honor of their master, who had killed himself by committing ritual suicide.

UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED, ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE AUTHOR

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

above :

The better-preserved Edo-period bronze dedicatory lantern at the Penn Museum. This lantern is not ornate but delicate in style and design.

It stands 203 cm (just over 6.6 feet) high. PM object A1828.

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

31

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

above :

The inscription engraved on the shaft part of the lantern includes the names of the donor, the honoree, and the bronze caster. The Buddhist rinpō symbol (Wheel of Law) is found on the lantern.

When a member of the Tokugawa shogunate family died, the living built a mortuary stupa or commemorative monument and buried the deceased beneath it. It was customary for feudal lords to offer their condolences and show allegiance by donating one or two stone or bronze lanterns to decorate the elite grave. Only highranking lords were permitted to donate bronze lanterns and, as such, the bronze ones were much rarer compared with those of stone and were placed in prominent places within the mausoleums. The light of the lanterns was believed to purge noxious spirits and to lead the way to the gods for stray souls of the deceased.

Yanagisawa gave the lanterns to the grand mausoleum of a renowned elite woman when she passed away on August 11, 1705. Her Buddhist name was Keishō-in; she was the mother of the fifth shogun and achieved the highest rank a woman could at that time. The inscription on the lanterns informs us that Yanagiwasa had Shīna Iyo Shigeyasu, a metal caster working for the shoguns of his time, cast these lanterns. The fact that this notable caster also constructed Keishō-in’s elaborate bronze stupa that stands just northwest of Tokyo today, is an indication that Keishō-in was treated as equal to the shoguns, at least regarding funerary customs associated with her death.

Keisho-in: An Elite Woman of the Shogunate

above :

Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu (1659–1714 CE), a famous feudal lord loyal to the fifth shogun, originally donated the two lanterns in honor of Keishō-in. Image by The History Collection/Alamy.

32

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

Keishō-in was born in 1627 into a family of humble origin. She was a beautiful woman, and the third Tokugawa shogun, Iemitsu (1604–1651 CE), fell in love with her.

She became Iemitsu’s concubine and, at the age of 19, gave birth to Tsunayoshi, who became the fifth shogun.

The Japanese expression of tama-no-koshi (marrying a man of wealth) is said to be derived from her common name. In addition to her dramatic ascent in the social hierarchy via marriage and childbirth, Keishō-in is also known for a famous edict, called Shōrui Awaremi no Rei, which forbade cruelty to animals and insects. Keishō-in, behind the name of her shogun son, is believed to have enforced this edict for 20 years until her death. Keishō-in was the first woman who, while alive, acquired the highest honorable rank a woman could possibly achieve, the Junior First Rank, which was bestowed on her in 1702 by the Emperor of Japan. It is said that the feudal lord Yanagisawa may have greatly contributed to Keishō-in’s

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

above :

Portraits of Keishō-in. Note the presence of the Tokugawa family crest attached to her clothes (right) and the frames of the hanging scroll (left). Image on the left by Nara, Hase-dera 奈良・長谷寺. Image on the right by Kyoto, Nishiyama Yoshimine-dera, “Keishō-in sama Mikage” 京都西山善峯寺「桂昌院様御影」.

acquisition of this rank by making arrangements with other powerful shogunate members. When she died at age 79 in 1705, the customary order of banning theatrical and other entertainment events for weeks was issued to express grief over the death of the venerated woman.

Despite the position of Keishō-in in society, it is surprising to discover that funerary lanterns made of bronze were given to a woman, since these were almost exclusively reserved for the shoguns. Stupas made of bronze were relatively common during Keishō-in’s time, but her

stupa was the only bronze example made for a woman in the Edo period. Indeed, the absence of the prestigious family crest of the Tokugawa clan on Keishō-in’s bronze lanterns and stupa provides an interesting insight into the ambiguity and precariousness of the symbolic prestige that this elite woman obtained in her final resting place. In lieu of the Tokugawa family crest, these lanterns, as well as her bronze stupa, bear the Buddhist rinpō and the heart-shaped mark called inome. Historical documents show that the Keishō-in stupa initially continued on page 36

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

33

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

above :

Yashamon Gate at Taiyuinbyo, the Mausoleum of Shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu in Nikko, Japan. Note the numerous elaborate bronze funerary lanterns. Photo by Coward Lion/Alamy.

34

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

35

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

left : Gate of the Mausoleum (Ancestral Hall) of the 7th Tokugawa Shogun in Shiba Park, Tokyo, Japan, ca. 1910.

Photo by Chronicle/Alamy.

bore the family crest, but it was immediately erased and replaced with the rinpō mark.

Only six years after he dedicated the lanterns to Keishō-in, Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu offered a funerary bronze lantern to the grand mausoleum of the sixth shogun, which was located right next to Keishō-in’s grave in the Zōjōji temple. This lantern is very similar in style to Keishō-in’s bronze lanterns, but the one for the shogun rightly displays the Tokugawa symbol. While Yanagisawa dedicated only one bronze lantern to the sixth shogun, the pair of bronze lanterns sent to Keishō-in’s mausoleum reaffirm how the treatment of her grave was unprecedented for a woman.

These funerary features illuminate the complex negotiation of the symbolic prestige within the Tokugawa burial ground. If the prestigious family emblem had been attached to Keishō-in’s bronze lanterns, they may not have been released from Japan and might never have come to the Penn Museum.

The Fate of the Tokugawa Lanterns After the collapse of the Tokugawa shogunate in 1868, dedicatory lanterns were an example of Buddhist art and architecture that suffered various historical misfortunes.

Tomoki Itō, in writings of his Zōjōji Ishidōrō Genkyō

36

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

Chōsa Hōkokusho (2016), estimates that about 1,000 bronze lanterns resided in the Tokugawa family temples at the end of the Edo period, of which only about 200 are known today. A great number of the missing lanterns were burned and destroyed during the civil war in the Meiji Restoration of 1868 and later by the Great Kanto earthquake of 1923. Many were also sold off as a result of financial difficulties that the temples encountered with the expulsion of Buddhism after the Meiji Restoration.

Later, bronze lanterns were collected and melted down as a metal resource for the manufacture of weapons during the Second World War, in response to the Metal Collection Act of 1943 imposed by the government. The bombings of Tokyo by the U.S. Armed Forces after 1943 also devastated the lanterns, along with many other historical and cultural properties, including sanctuary buildings, stupas, temple bells, and Buddha sculptures.

Meanwhile, Japanese art and craft objects, and, in particular, the Buddhist artifacts, experienced high demand in foreign art markets. The second half of the 19th century was the era of world expositions in industrialized foreign countries such as England, France, Switzerland, Spain, Australia, and the United States. This greatly raised awareness and interest in Japanese arts and crafts, including Buddhist sculptures and texts, woodblock

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

Gifts of Allegiance right : Keishō-in’s bronze lantern given by Yanagisawa Yoshiyasu in 1705, and now in the Penn Museum collection. far right: The bronze dedicatory lantern offered by the same donor to the sixth shogun in 1712. Note the presence of the family crest of the Tokugawa clan on the lantern for the shogun. Image on the far right from: Saitama Prefecture Tokorozawa-City Board of Education埼玉県所沢市教育委員会, 2008.

Sayamayama Fudōji Shozai Dōtōrō Chōsa Hōkokusho.狭山山不動寺所在銅 燈籠調査報告書, pp. 110.

Lanterns as Collectibles right : One of the bronze lanterns bearing the Tokugawa family crest at the Rockefeller Estate located in Kykuit, New York. Photo by Cynthia Altman. far right : A stone lantern bearing the Tokugawa family crest in the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

37

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS

above :

The original location of the bronze lanterns in Keishō-in’s mausoleum in the Zōjōji temple. It is highly likely that the bronze lanterns flanking the entrance to Keishō-in’s mausoleum in this late 19th century photo are the ones currently in the Penn Museum collection. Photo courtesy of the Tokyo National Library: the Database for Old Photographs (ID#12422/PCDB-012450)東京国立博物館所蔵:古写真データベース. Zōjōji, Meiji 19th century 増上寺, 明治, 19世紀.

38

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

THE TOKUGAWA ARTIFACTS prints, silk textiles, porcelains, and bronze pieces. As Buddhist temple objects, Tokugawa lanterns became the focus of collectors and were exported commercially around the world. In the United States, for instance, Kykuit, the Rockefeller Estate located in Phillipstown Manor north of New York City, owns a pair of splendid bronze lanterns that glint with the crest of the Tokugawa clan, the three-leaf hollyhock in a circle. These lanterns do not bear inscriptions, probably because they were not funerary dedicatory lanterns; they may have originally been placed within the Edo castle. According to Ms. Cynthia Altman, the curator of the collections at Kykuit, records indicate that the Rockefeller Estate purchased these items in 1908 from Silo’s Fifth Avenue Art Gallery, located in New York City.

The enthusiasm to obtain Edo period shogun lanterns by wealthy art collectors and museums in the United States continued in the late 20th century. Despite their lesser value than that of the bronze ones, stone lanterns from Tokugawa mausoleums have more recently been given by Japan to the United States as gifts to mark the amity between the two countries. A stone example bearing the Tokugawa crest is known to exist in West Potomac Park in Washington, D.C. This is one of a pair that was constructed to commemorate the death of the third shogun, Tokugawa Iemitsu, in 1651. The governor of Tokyo gave this stone lantern to the United States in 1954 as a symbol of friendship and peace between the two countries, while the second of the twin lanterns remains in a Tokugawa family temple in Tokyo. Another stone example created at the time of the death of Iemitsu is found near the pond at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, New York. It was originally presented by a high-ranking feudal lord to mourn the death of Iemitsu in 1651. According to a plaque at the site, this stone lantern was given to the city of New York in 1980 to celebrate the lasting New York-Tokyo sister city affiliation.

After the Meiji Restoration in 1868, when imperial rule was restored to Japan, wealthy families, such as the Ōkura family, endeavored to preserve shogunate and Buddhist properties. Included with these properties was the mausoleum of Keishō-in, which the founder of the Ōkura family purchased soon after 1868, and later displayed in the Ōkura Museum of Art in Tokyo. It is possible that the Keishō-in bronze lanterns were part

above :

Various arts and crafts were on display in the Japanese section of the 1876 Centennial International Exhibition in Philadelphia.

Photo by the Free Library “Shippokuwaisha’s exhibit–Japanese section,” call number C022247.

of the mausoleum at that time, and survived wartime destruction because they were already in Philadelphia in 1919.

The precious bronze lanterns dedicated to the Edo period shogunate woman were sadly detached from their original prominent placement in her tomb. Their overall fate, however, is a fortunate one since they have miraculously survived the various historical misfortunes and destructions and have been preserved, as a pair, at the Penn Museum. As the only known extant testimony, the lanterns and the stupa teach us that major funerary features made of bronze were in fact offered to a woman.

But the degree of symbolic prestige was still subject to scrutiny, due to the simple fact that Keishō-in was not a male shogun, no matter how politically influential she was while alive. Keishō-in’s bronze lanterns are currently in need of conservation and restoration work, but their historical significance makes them worthy of display again someday. Ä yoko nishimura , ph . d., is Assistant Professor and Mellon Faculty Fellow in the Department of East Asian Studies at Gettysburg College. acknowledgements

I owe a great amount of gratitude to Mr. Satoshi Nishimura, Mr. Tomoki Itō, and Mr. Stephen Lang. They generously offered me much valuable information and constantly helped me gather data in Japan. Without them, I would not have been able to illuminate the fate of Keishō-in’s bronze lanterns at the Penn Museum.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

39

a journey into the human body studying mummies to understand ancient disease by michael r. zimmerman

40

EXPEDITION  Volume 61  Number 1

right : The mummified Pharaoh Ramses V (died 1145 BCE), who had smallpox.

Photo from Wikimedia. opposite top ( left to right ): Diseases affecting ancient populations included smallpox, subcorneal pustular dermatosis, atherosclerosis, and rheumatoid arthritis.

Images by Gaetan Stoffel, Michael R. Zimmerman, 7 Active Studio, and Bernd Brägelmann/Wikimedia.

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

41

UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT DISEASE

AS AN ANTHROPOLOGIST AND RETIRED PATHOLOGIST, DR. MICHAEL ZIMMERMAN’S RESEARCH FOCUSES ON MUMMY PALEOPATHOLOGY. HE DETAILS WHAT CAN BE ACCOMPLISHED IN STUDYING ANCIENT DISEASE AND REFLECTS ON WHAT REMAINS TO BE DISCOVERED USING 21ST CENTURY MEDICAL TECHNIQUES. expeditions reported in this magazine frequently involve a journey to a remote part of the world. In 1972, I was part of a group of physicians, anthropologists, archaeologists, and other scientists assembled at the Penn Museum for a time travel expedition into the human body, specifically to examine the mummy of an ancient unknown Egyptian man. He was dubbed PUM I (Pennsylvania University Museum I), in anticipation of a continuing series, which would also include PUMs II, III, and IV. Paleopathology, the study of disease in ancient remains, adds the dimension of time to improve our understanding of the evolution of diseases and their role in human biological and social history. The examination of mummies expands our knowledge of the life stories and fate of ancient individuals, their relationship to others, and ancient migrations. These discoveries have applications in modern medicine and implications for health throughout the modern world.

A standard autopsy of PUM I was followed as much as possible, although results were limited by the mummy’s poor state of preservation. The body, apparently wrapped top :

Mummies are found in many locations around the world. left: The Museum’s PUM I rebandaged after the autopsy in 1972. PM image 32908.

42

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

in linen without going through a full mummification process, was a skeleton with some attached dry skin and muscle on the legs and trunk. Desiccated or dried matter in the chest was sampled for rehydration with a solution of water, alcohol, and sodium carbonate. Although our studies of the decomposed tissues were mostly unrewarding due to bacterial decomposition, there was a significant positive finding in a sample of skin from the upper inner thigh, which showed a much greater degree of preservation, probably due to prompt desiccation. Within this skin were small blister-like spaces filled with the remnants of inflammatory cells, resulting in a diagnosis of a rare disease, subcorneal pustular dermatosis, or Sneddon-Wilkinson disease.

First described in 1956 by Drs. Sneddon and Wilkinson as a process of sterile pustule formation on the abdomen and in the axilla and groin areas, the disease has been linked to more serious disorders such as rheumatoid arthritis or thyroid problems. The first mummy dissected in the Penn Museum series was probably afflicted by Sneddon-Wilkinson disease almost 3,000 years ago.

What Mummies Do We Study?

For most people, mummies are associated with ancient Egypt. However, mummies are found in many other areas of the world as well. The oldest human mummies, opposite :

The Museum’s Egyptian mummy PUM II before and after unwrapping. The autopsy revealed bone abnormalities, pneumoconiosis, roundworm, and perforated eardrums. PM images 31408 and 95477.

UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT DISEASE

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

43

UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT DISEASE

far left : This 13-year-old female mummy, called the Llullaillaco Maiden, was recovered in 1999 from the Andes. Photo courtesy of Johan Reinhard, National Geographic Society. left: Animal mummies, such as this seal, have been found as far as Antarctica. Photo

by Johner Images/Alamy.

of the Chinchorro culture from what is now northern Chile and southern Peru, date from 5000 to 3000 BCE, thousands of years before Egyptians began performing mummification. Frozen bodies, usually buried by accident, have been found in the Arctic. Ötzi, the famous 5,300-year-old Iceman, was found in 1991 in the Alps between Austria and Italy. Human mummies have been found in such diverse places as Japan, the Torres Strait between Australia and New Guinea, and the Canary Islands, Peru. Animal mummies have been found as far as Antarctica, where extremely dry conditions have produced seal mummies. Human remains and bones from the seal mummies are currently being studied to improve our understanding of the spread of tuberculosis from Africa to South America some 1,000 years ago.

from relatively basic X-rays, beginning with Flinders Petrie’s X-rays of prehistoric Egyptian bones in 1897, followed in the late 20th century by the development and application of sophisticated CT and MRI analyses, allowing for non-destructive examinations. Enhancements in MRI technology have allowed the examination of mummies without the need for rehydration, and CT-guided endoscopic biopsies yield many diagnoses.

We also use gas chromatography mass spectrometry in the study of ancient Egyptian embalming materials. Improvements in ancient DNA (aDNA) detection are also expanding our knowledge of the history and evolution of diseases. Recently, we even learned about a remarkable clarification of the relationships among members of King Tutankhamun’s family.

What Can We Learn From Mummies?

How Do We Study Mummies?

In 1972 X-rays were referred to as “films,” which was considered progress from earlier glass “plates.” Computerized tomographic (CT) scans, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and digital technology were still in the future and ultrasound was limited to the Navy’s sonar search for submarines. As in all other branches of scientific and medical investigation, the study of mummies has been facilitated by the development of new technology. We have seen the progression of radiologic study

The examination of mummies has two paleopathological goals: fitting the diseases of individual mummies into a picture of the health status of a given ancient population and providing information on the evolution of diseases.

Congenital skeletal deformities and traumatic injuries have been seen in mummies. Clubfoot was recently diagnosed in Amenhotep III and Tutankhamun. This may account for depictions of Tutankhamun seated in activities that normally require an upright posture and the presence of numerous walking sticks, several showleft : Ötzi the Iceman has been intensively studied by archaeologists from all over the world. South Tyrol Museum of Archaeology/Eurac/ Samadelli/Staschitz.

44

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT DISEASE

top :

Computerized Tomography (CT) scan of King Tutankhamun’s mummy. Photo by Danita Delimont/Alamy. above : Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of a 3,000 year old Egyptian mummy at University College Hospital in central London. Photo by PA Images/Alamy.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

45

UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT DISEASE

above :

The mummified Pharaoh Siptah (died 1191 BCE), who had talipes equinovarus (club foot) and most likely suffered from poliomyelitis, or possibly cerebral palsy. Photograph from The Royal Mummies by G. Elliot Smith (1912), plate #LXII.

46

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT DISEASE ing wear, in Tutankhamun’s tomb. Another Egyptian mummy suffered from a club foot and his liver showed the scarring of cirrhosis, perhaps due to self-medication by an excess of wine during his life. One of the most notable traumatic injuries was diagnosed in the Iceman

by CT scanning, an arrowhead in the shoulder region, resulting in a fatal hemorrhage.

There have been many reports of infectious and inflammatory disease found in mummies. Examination of the Pharaoh Siptah using x-ray technology showed an overall shortening of the entire right leg and atrophy of the soft tissues, diagnosed as characteristic of poliomyelitis, or possibly cerebral palsy. Smallpox has been diagnosed in the mummy of Ramses V. Pneumonia, one of the most common bacterial infections and a major cause of death in the pre-antibiotic era, has also been diagnosed in Egyptian mummies. Tuberculosis has been well documented in ancient Egypt and pre-Columbian South America. Of interest is the absence of evidence of tuberculosis in pre-Dynastic Nubian skeletons and mummies, suggesting the Dynastic period (from ca. 3000 BCE) for the onset of human tuberculosis in the Nile Valley, but recent molecular evidence indicates a much older date for the evolution of human tuberculosis.

Studies of aDNA have determined that Tutankhamun suffered from falciparum malaria, the most serious form of the disease. Parasitic worms remain well preserved for millennia, and the characteristic ova of Ascaris lumbricoides, Schistosoma hematobium, and Taenia solium have all been reported in Egyptian mummies. The Dakhleh Oasis is far from the Nile but schistosome ova were discovered in a mummy from that area; this may be evidence of a trade route or the movement of people via oases in the western desert.

Dental and middle ear disease have also long been part of the human condition. Periodontal disease, dental wear, and caries (cavities) have been noted in pharaohs and fellahs (Arabic for commoners). These conditions can lead to infection of the middle ear and mastoid sinuses, and, in fact, perforated eardrums were seen in PUM II. The degenerative process most common in mummies is osteoarthritis, often seen in Egyptian mummies, where its presence in the hot dry climate of Egypt and Nubia belies the folk attribution of the disease to damp climates. X-rays of Ramses II have revealed severe osteoarthritis in his hips.

above :

Life-long exposure to open fires for heating and cooking have left carbon and silica particles in the lungs of almost all Egyptian mummies. Photo by Simon Podgorsek.

A more life threatening disorder, atherosclerosis or the buildup of plaque in arteries, has been very well documented by historic evidence. A recent CT study identified the disorder in 9 of 22 mummies in the Cairo Museum.

This much higher incidence than had previously been reported raises the question of the cause of this disease.

Ancient Egyptians did not smoke cigarettes, eat much meat or sugar, or deal with the environmental pollution or stresses of the 21st century. This disorder may actually be due to an infectious disease, caused by as yet unidentified bacteria, analogous to the recent discovery of the infectious cause of stomach ulcers.

Another common degenerative process is the accumulation of foreign material, particularly in the lungs.

The combination of carbon and silica particles has been seen in the lungs of almost all Egyptian mummies, due to life-long exposure to open fires for heating and cooking, and inhalation during the sandstorms common to Egypt.

The diagnosis of cancer in Egyptian mummies is rare.

At this point, the literature contains only two reports of microscopically confirmed cancer in Egyptian mummies, cancer of the rectum and of the urinary bladder in two ca. 200 CE mummies from the Dakhleh Oasis.

It has been suggested that the short life span of individu-

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

47

UNDERSTANDING ANCIENT DISEASE

The Future of Mummy Studies

above :

The mummified body of Pharaoh Ramses II (died 1213 BCE).

Modern examinations performed with x-rays have revealed severe osteoarthritis in his hips. Photo by Wolfman12405/Wikimedia.

als in antiquity precluded the development of cancer.

Although this statistical construct is true, due to high infant mortality, individuals in ancient Egypt did live long enough to develop such diseases as atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. It must also be remembered that in modern populations, bone tumors primarily affect the young. Another explanation for the lack of tumors in ancient remains is that tumors might not be well preserved. However, my experimental studies indicate that the features of malignant cells are favorable to preservation by mummification. Cancer cells are characterized by large darkly staining nuclei, which are preserved by mummification. In an ancient society lacking surgical intervention, evidence of cancer should be found. The virtual absence of malignancies can be interpreted as indicating their rarity in Egyptian antiquity. Carcinogenic factors increase the incidence of cancer in societies affected by modern industrialization and tobacco usage.

48

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

In a computerized 21st century world where privacy is difficult to achieve, caution has been raised regarding issues of privacy for ancient historical figures. Should they have the same rights as deceased modern individuals? Should rules be developed for mummy studies, and in what way might that change our approach to studying disease? We must always remember that we are in fact studying deceased humans. As part of the consideration for the rights of mummies, it is important to limit the number of individuals attending mummy autopsies, thus avoiding what one observer referred to as a circus atmosphere.

One cannot undervalue serendipity in the examination of mummies. Even bodies that appear most unpromising may turn out to provide insight into the history and nature of disease processes. Modern technology has allowed the study of mummies to be performed

by CT scanning and MRI studies, allowing selective minimally invasive sampling, thus preserving these invaluable museum specimens. It is even more likely that significant findings await us in the future. Ä dr . michael r . zimmerman

is a Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania, Adjunct Professor of Biology at Villanova University, and Visiting Professor at the KNH Centre for Biomedical Egyptology, The University of Manchester. for further reading

David, A.R. and M.R. Zimmerman. “Cancer: A new disease, an old disease, or something in between?” Invited paper, Nature Reviews Cancer 10: 728–733 (online publication, September 3, 2010).

Hawass, Z. et al. “Ancestry and pathology in King Tutankhamun’s family.” Journal of the American Medical Association 303: 638–647 (2010).

Zimmerman, M. “New Approaches to the Study of Ancient Disease.” Expedition 17.1 (Fall 1974): 24–30.

Zimmerman, M. “The Analysis and Interpretation of Mummified Remains.” In A Companion to Paleopathology.

A. L. Grauer, ed., Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 152–169, 2012.

Zimmerman, M. My Patients Were Mummies. Nova Science Publishers, Happauge, NY, 2017.

FAVORITE OBJECT

The Bear Pipe Bowl

BY CHRISTINA GRIFFITH

M

ost people have a favorite animal that they identify with in some way or in spirit. For me, the bear is both terrifying and worthy of the utmost respect. I also find them adorable. They are known to behave in the wild in ways that are curiously human, or at least, we tend to anthropomorphize them as such.

Made of slate and inlaid with lead accents, this unassuming pipe-bowl with a small bear mounted on the end represents a significant element of Lakota (Sioux) spiritual life. This was likely a personal item, rather than one for large ceremonies or an entire family.

A wooden, ornamented stem would have been inserted into the bowl so that the bear faced the smoker. The detail of the bear’s claws, ears, and face are remarkable for such a small carving. The bear would have had great significance to the owner who may have seen the bear in a vision or was a member of a bear cult. The bear may also have been the owner’s power animal.

This piece came into the Penn Museum collection in 1901 as part of a group of objects from the Plains peoples collected by George Catlin. Catlin acquired it in the 1830s, although it was likely made decades earlier.

The pipe ceremony represents the connection between the spiritual and the physical world. Scholars have compared it to the Christian ceremony of Communion.

It is an integral part of the religious practices of many indigenous peoples of North America. Smoking the pipe may bless an event, be part of a larger sacred ceremony or celebration, or signal that an agreement has been reached between parties, cementing a bond with the energy of creation. Each addition of tobacco mixture to the bowl represents a blessing for each aspect of creation, making the bowl symbolically hold the cosmos within it. When the tobacco mixture is fired and exhaled as

above :

The Bear Pipe Bowl, slate and lead, ca. 1830. 12.7 cm long, 6.5 cm high. PM object 38377.

smoke, this is the prayer offering manifested physically.

The ritual is not done at one’s leisure: smoking the pipe is a sacred act.

The bear is a powerful icon in many cultures of the northern hemisphere. The historical importance of bears in so many places and by so many peoples has been referred to as the “Circumpolar Bear Cult.” This is not a unified belief structure, but rather evidence from many cultures that bears represented important aspects of life, reality, and spirituality.

Currently on display in Native American Voices in the North America Gallery, you can find our small bear pipe bowl in the glass case immediately on the left as you enter from the Main Entrance, alongside an interactive screen for personal exploration. Ä for further reading

Eyman, F. “A Grizzly Bear Carving from the Missouri Valley.”

Expedition 8.3 (Spring 1966): 33–40.

What is your favorite object?

Tell us about your favorite Penn Museum object and why you like it. We will do the research and present it in an upcoming issue of Expedition. Write the editor at jhickman@upenn.edu.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

49

FROM THE FIELD

Survey in Vayots Dzor, Armenia

BY ANDREW WILLIAMS

vdflp is directed by Dr. Tiffany Earley-Spadoni of the University of Central Florida in conjunction with Arthur Petrosyan and Boris Gasparyan of the Institute of Archaeology and Ethnography at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia. The Penn team was composed of Computer Science majors Colin Roberts and Christopher Besser; Malkia Okech, an undergraduate student majoring in Near Eastern Languages and

left : Andrew Williams records pottery sherds with the Data Collector app and a portable photography studio kit lent by the Penn Libraries.

50

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

above , top : The 2018 survey team. From left to right: Hayk Azizbekyan, Malkia Okech, Christopher Besser, Elvan Cobb, Peter Cobb, three-year-old Nehir Cobb, Andrew Williams, and Colin Roberts. above : The team searches for pottery in the field.

Civilizations; Andrew Williams, a masters graduate in Byzantine and Late Antique Studies; and Dr. Caitlin Curtis of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

Famous for its fruit and wine production, the mountainous province of Vayots Dzor has a long history of occupation. In a cave system near the village of Areni, archaeologists have discovered the earliest known shoe and winery, both dating from the Late Chalcolithic Period (about 4000 BCE). The valley’s location in the heart of South Caucasia put it at a crossroads between empires and along the Silk Road network. The region’s Armenian heritage has been influenced by Roman, Islamic, and Persian traditions. Conical churches and the ubiquitous cross-bearing steles, known as khachkars, are perched throughout the landscape. The area’s strategic location also made it vulnerable to nomadic invaders, especially in the 13th to 16th centuries CE, and the remains of dozens of fortresses from various periods dot the valley.

ALL PHOTOS COURTESY OF THE VAYOTS DZOR SURVEY PROJECT

A team from the University of Pennsylvania, headed by Dr. Peter J. Cobb, recently the Kowalski Family Teaching Specialist at the Museum’s Center for the Analysis of Archeological Materials (CAAM), and Dr. Elvan Cobb of Cornell University, joined the 2018 season of the University of Central Florida’s Vayots Dzor Fortress Landscapes Project (VDFLP) and conducted a survey of the Yeghegis River valley.

above :

The remains of a medieval hilltop fortress overlook the Yeghegis River valley. Terracing, perhaps from a village, is also visible nearby.

The objective of the expedition was to survey the Yeghegis River valley and test many different digital recording methods both in the field and in the lab.

Walking in regular intervals, we examined the verdant farmland near the river and the surrounding semi-arid mountainside for any trace of past human activity. We conversed with local residents about their knowledge of the landscape’s history. Most of our finds were pottery sherds, and we also documented the remains of a system of medieval fortresses. A number of the fortresses featured the remains of surrounding settlements, which offered clues to how people lived and why they settled certain areas over others.

The equipment that we tested in the field, which helped facilitate the data collection of material finds, centered on smartphone applications, GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite Systems), and image capturing devices. Chris and Colin developed the Location Collector app, which worked in combination with extremely precise GNSS technology, and allowed us to take pictures of finds in situ and upload both the image and a location to a central database. Image capturing was not limited to our smartphones. In order to get a

better picture of the survey landscape itself, we used a 360degree camera and a drone. These tools allowed us to both map and access the sites after they were surveyed.

After spending the day in the field, we returned to the lab in Areni where we processed our finds and continued to develop the different apps. Processing generally involved cleaning, labeling, and cataloging. To catalogue recovered material, the Data Collector app allowed for communication via Bluetooth to a digital scale and remote camera. The Data Collection app works in conjunction with the Location Collector app and central database, recording an item’s weight and taking its photograph in a controlled setting. Collectively, the equipment we tested in Armenia not only helped us gather information on how people lived in the Vayots Dzor region but has shed light on new methods of archaeological survey that can be used around the globe. Ä This survey was partially funded by the Penn Museum’s Director’s Field Fund. right :

Using a drone, we were able to take pictures of a site which were then overlaid on a 3-D model.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

51

IN THE LABS

Investigating Metallurgical Knowledge in the Iron Age Eastern Mediterranean

BY OLIVIA HAYDEN

The transformation of raw metal into finished objects consists of an intense cycle of heating, cooling, and hammering, and, when all is said and done, the finished objects contain few visible traces of this grueling ordeal. Fortunately, archaeologists can use scientific techniques to reveal these otherwise imperceptible steps of production and to learn about the craftspeople who performed them. as part of my dissertation research, I am working with CAAM experts to apply a range of analytical techniques to metal objects from the Penn Museum collection in order to reveal traces of their production.

I investigate the metalworking techniques used to produce bronze and iron objects from Early Iron Age sites at Kourion and Lapithos in Cyprus and Vrokastro on Crete. By understanding the techniques craftspeople used to form objects and the decisions they made, I can begin to investigate how these individuals were trained and how metalworking techniques spread between communities of metalsmiths. During the Early Iron Age, influential advancements in metalworking spread across the Mediterranean world, but the exact ways that these advancements were taught by one smith to another are not well understood. left : A piece of metal embedded in epoxy is polished to investigate the microstructure.

52

EXPEDITION  Volume 61  Number 1

above :

The author arranges metal objects onto trays in the Collections Study Room.

IN THE LABS

center and far lfet : This x-ray image of a tripod stand shows many large porosities, which indicate the stand was cast. above : A metallographic image displays recrystallized and flattened grains, indicating that the object was annealed and hammered.

After metal ore has been transformed into raw metal through the process of smelting, several raw metals can be combined to form metal alloys. (For example, bronze is an alloy of copper and tin or arsenic.) The proportion of metals used in the alloy impacts many properties of the final metal, including aspects of workability (i.e. melting point and malleability), function (i.e. hardness), and aesthetics (i.e. color). An Energy Dispersive Spectroscopy (EDS) detector attached to a Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM) to investigate alloying practices will shed light on the properties that might have been important to ancient craftspeople.

Once a metal or its alloy has the desired chemical properties, it can then be formed into a shape, and there were two main methods used to shape metal in the ancient Mediterranean. First, an object could be formed by heating metal until it was molten and pouring it into a pre-shaped mold (this technique is called casting). Second, metal could be heated to below its melting point and then cooled down slowly (called annealing). Annealing makes metal more malleable and ductile so that it could be worked by hammering. Casting and annealing are not mutually exclusive, and often objects were cast and then subjected to successive rounds of annealing and working.

Archaeologists use the techniques of X-radiography and microscopy to investigate this formation process. X-ray images, taken in the CAAM labs with the help of CAAM Laboratory Coordinator Dr. Marie-Claude Boileau and Project Conservator Tessa Alarcon Martin, can be used to identify working methods such as casting and hammering. For example, cast objects sometimes contain porosities, places where the molten metal did not completely fill the mold. They appear like tiny holes on a radiograph.

I am also investigating samples from some of the metal objects with a reflective light microscope under the supervision of CAAM Teaching Specialist for Archaeometallurgy Moritz Jansen. This process, known as metallography, reveals further information about object formation. For example, if an object was annealed, the internal structure of the metal will resemble hexagonal grains under the microscope.

If it was hammered after annealing, the grains will be flattened and deformed from the impact of the hammer. Ă„ olivia hayden

is a Ph.D. candidate in Art and

Archaeology of the Mediterranean World (AAMW).

EXPEDITION  Spring 2019

53

RESEARCH NOTES

An Abandoned City in Laos

BY ELIZABETH G. HAMILTON AND JOYCE C. WHITE

Laos is one of the least archaeologically explored countries in the world, largely because geopolitics of Southeast Asia through much of the 20th century made the country too dangerous for research.

The Middle Mekong Archaeological Project (MMAP), directed by Joyce White, Penn Museum Consulting Scholar and head of the Institute for Southeast Asian Archaeology, has been conducting surveys and test excavations since 2001 in northern Laos, mainly in the area around Luang Prabang, the former royal capital.

(See Expedition 52.2: 6–7.) Her work has built upon the Museum’s long research in northeast Thailand, especially at the site of Ban Chiang.

In the winter of 2018, we worked with Dr. Peter Cobb, then Kowalski Family Teaching Specialist in the Museum’s Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials (CAAM), and Jared Koller, a researcher

above :

Research areas of the Middle Mekong Archaeological Project: Thakhek, Luang Prabang, and Ban Chiang. Map by Ardeth Anderson.

at the Smithsonian Institution’s Asian Cultural Heritage Program, on a project in Laos. The aim was to conduct survey in a new area at a location that had never been recorded by archaeologists: an old abandoned city along the Mekong to the south of Thakhek, Laos. There were two goals: first, to produce a digital map of the historic temple complex at Vat Sikhottabong, and second, to map the extent of the abandoned city surrounding the temple.

The project was funded through an Asian Development Bank-financed program to enhance tourism facilities at the renowned site.

Rapid Assessment Survey The rapid ground survey along the Mekong River included local cultural heritage managers who were familiar with collapsed stupas, sculptures, brick mounds, walls, and platforms in the Thakhek area. Using a smartphone with an app configured to link photographs to GPS coordinates, the team documented more than 140 above-ground features in one week. Traditionally, people in this area lived in wood or bamboo dwellings. Permanent structures, made of stone or brick, were reserved for religious buildings. The brick features reflected the past left : A drone’s eye view of the main stupa and temple at Vat Sikhottabong at sunset. Photo by Jared Koller.

54

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

above left : Google Earth map of the survey features discovered. The features were recorded with a smart phone using an app designed by Peter Cobb that linked GPS coordinates and archaeological data to a photo. above right: The top half of a fallen Buddha head, with hair, topknot, and eyebrows. Offerings to the statue made by local residents can be seen at the base of the sculpture. Photo by Elizabeth Hamilton.

use of this area as a vast ritual landscape; the only surface remains of a city now vanished.

Data recorded in this quick survey provided the evidence to create the map showing the location and extent of the old city. The team also collected potsherds from exposed surfaces to quickly estimate the age of the city and the extent of its international trade connections.

Analysis of the sherds by Naho Shimizu, an independent researcher specializing in Asian trade ceramics and Ph.D. candidate at Waseda University, Japan, revealed that the sherds date to between the 14th and 18th centuries, and some originate as far away as Japan.

Drone Survey The second objective of the field season was to test new mapping technologies. The survey team used drones and Emlid Reach RS+ GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) receivers to precisely locate points in the main temple complex and surrounding features linked with GPS. To quickly create a contemporary map of the temple compound itself and a nearby location with remains of the old city, the team obtained the positional data and images needed for a 3-D model of Vat Sikhottabong.

Drone pilots, both western and Lao, flew DJI Mavic 2 Pro drones up to 75 meters over the site’s surface, flying back and forth to see every part of the site from multiple

angles. Photogrammetry software will then determine the location of millions of points on the ground by comparing the photographs, thus constructing a model of the site’s surface with a photographic overlay.

What Happened to the Old City?

The city appears in European records in a 17th-century publication by the Dutch merchant explorer Gerrit van Wuysthoff. He noted that the city, called Lochoen or Lakhon, was a major trading and commercial hub with 20–25 temples, located on important trading routes up and down the Mekong River as well as to Vietnam and the interior of Thailand. But the late 18th and early 19th centuries saw constant regional warfare among the numerous kings and warlords from Burma (now Myanmar) to Vietnam. Cities, towns, and villages were sacked and whole regions depopulated. It is possible that Lakhon was destroyed in the early 19th century, when the Siamese sacked and burned Vientiane. Ä elizabeth g . hamilton , ph . d ., and joyce c . white , ph . d ., are Consulting Scholars in the Museum’s Asian Section.

The Penn Museum’s Director’s Field Fund allowed the purchase of the digital technologies used during the survey.

The Lao Ministry of Information Culture and Tourism also supported the program.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

55

GLOBAL CLASSROOM NEWS FROM LEARNING PROGRAMS

Museum Staff Judge National History Day On March 13 and 14, Philadelphia hosted National History Day (NHD) as part of an annual series of events for schoolchildren across the United States. This is a critical program that ensures students are not only learning history but also synthesizing and communicating information to make important connections with the past. NHD Philly engages 6th to 12th grade students throughout the region with historical research, source interpretation, and creative expression; it emphasizes use and understanding of both primary and secondary resources. By participating in NHD, students become writers, filmmakers, web designers, playwrights, and artists; they create unique contemporary expressions of the historical past.

Eric Schnittke (Museum Archives), along with Allyson Mitchell and Ellen Owens (Learning Programs) supported NHD Philly by judging the Senior Day competition. Nearly 300 area juniors and seniors from schools such as Masterman, Central, and West Philadelphia High participated. NHD Philly culminates with the top projects moving on to a statewide competition and ends in a nationwide competition. Student winners are eligible for scholarships, jobs, and other opportunities to continue their learning. The Penn Museum judges joined over 40 local professionals to support and emphasize the importance of learning about history in our schools.

World Cultures Day Highlights Cultural Traditions Partnerships between the Penn Museum, South Asia Center, and Middle East Center allowed over 1,000 Philadelphia and regional students to get a true taste of world cultures this spring, all free of charge.

The annual partnership between the Museum and the World Affairs Council of Philadelphia kicked off in 2019 with the Junior United Nations Program to simulate interest in the role of foreign diplomats. The World Affairs Council is a nonpartisan educational organization dedicated to engaging people on matters of national and international significance. The Junior United Nations brings hundreds of regional middle school students to the Museum to begin their cultural exploration.

High school students also got their turn for sponsored experiences at the Museum. Our World Cultures Day provided opportunities to nearby 9th to 12th graders to enjoy the diversity of cultural expressions across space and time.

All programs included a special keynote speaker, gallery tours, and International Classroom programs that

56

EXPEDITION  Volume 61  Number 1

above :

Students tour the Middle East Gallery as part of the Junior Model United Nations kick-off celebration.

connected to the galleries. Some schools even elected to come back for a paid school visit after their initial experience so they could interact with more of the collection and staff!

GLOBAL CLASSROOM

Collaborations with Penn GSE and Netter Center Recent projects involving the Penn Museum, the Penn Graduate School of Education (GSE), and the Netter Center for Community Partnerships are expanding the reach and tools of these campus learning centers.

The Museum is collaborating with GSE’s new ProjectBased Learning (PBL) center to develop new ways to help students with discipline-based learning and critical thinking skills. Together, the Museum and Penn PBL will facilitate a special professional development program for teachers this summer, providing opportunities to test the new tools.

The Netter Center’s Young Quakers Community Athletics program arranged a field trip for students in the 4th to 8th grades from University-assisted Community Schools in West Philadelphia: Andrew Hamilton Elementary, Henry C. Lea Elementary, B.B. Comegys Elementary, and S. Weir Mitchell Elementary. The students received special access to a Penn lacrosse game at Franklin Field, and, beforehand, they visited the Museum to learn about the origins of lacrosse through a tour of our Native American Voices: The People Here and Now

above :

West Philadelphia public school children learn about a Native American lacrosse stick at the Museum before heading to a Penn lacrosse game.

exhibition. The students were encouraged to explore the entire Museum, including our hands-on Cartifacts stations, to round out their experience. The Museum plans to continue and expand on these partnership opportunities next year to maximize the impact of the University on local communities.

Museum Educators Take Programs to Seniors Demonstrating a commitment to life-long learning, the Museum’s International Classroom speakers have been traveling to Voorhees, New Jersey to deliver a wide variety of programs for the Lions Gate Continuing Care Retirement Community. Lions Gate prides itself on creating a rich and active learning environment for its residents, who appreciate global perspectives, live performances, and educational opportunities.

Residents have enjoyed a special talk from a Penn Museum presenter twice a month. Presentations offered

different cultural perspectives, such as those of Haibin Weschler, a Chinese educator, and Ruth Pye, a Native American storyteller, while Dr. Stephen Phillips and Dr. Nick Eiteljorg offered in-depth experiences about their expeditions to Egypt and Italy respectively, along with detailed content knowledge about ancient life in those countries. Residents even received incredible performances of Sattriya, a classic Indian dance, and Egyptian belly dance. The Museum is proud to offer learning experiences to people of all ages.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

57

MEMBER NEWS

Members Celebrate New Exhibition Ancient Egypt: From Discovery to Display

1 Member events offered special opportunities to enjoy our latest exhibition, Ancient Egypt: From Discovery to Display, including popular member preview hours on February 22, and a celebration and reception for Expedition Circle and Loren Eiseley Society members on February 27, with remarks from Williams Director Julian Siggers and exhibition curator Dr. Jennifer Houser Wegner.

2 1. M useum Overseer Matthew Storm, C94, WG00, and

his daughter Cecilia Storm in front of visible storage.

2. Vesna Bacic, Suchinda Heavener, and Missy

McQuiston examine a wrapped mummy from the exhibition.

Member Appreciation Day and Petersen Lecture

1

Teaching Specialist Dr. Marie-Claude Boileau and Outreach Program Manager Allyson Mitchell; a demonstration of 3-D scanning and printing with Steve Lang, Lyons Keeper of Collections, Asian Section; guided gallery tours, craft activities like creating cylinder seal impressions, and much more. In the afternoon, Dr. Heather Richards-Rissetto, Assistant Professor of Anthropology at the University of Nebraska, delivered the Penn Museum’s 2019 Petersen Lecture, titled “Beyond the Naked Eye: Revisiting Ancient Maya Cities with 3D Technology.”

Members of the Loren Eiseley Society, Expedition Circle, 1887 Society (members for 10+ years), and Sara Yorke Stevenson Legacy Circle joined us for a special reception following the lecture.

On Saturday, March 9, Penn Museum members enjoyed a wide array of special programs on Member Appreciation Day, including a virtual tour of the Center for the Analysis 1. Steve Lang demonstrates 3-D scanning and printing of Archaeological Materials with Ceramic Petrography for Museum members.

58

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

MEMBER NEWS MEET OUR MEMBERS

Shawn Shafiei, ENG13, W13

S

hawn Shafiei is a 2013 graduate of the Engineering and Wharton Schools. He

volunteers for the Penn Museum as part of its Young Alumni Council, and he supports the Museum as a member of the Loren Eiseley Society and Benjamin Franklin Society.

Lasting Memories My first memory of the Museum—which is probably very familiar to most Penn students—was Toga Night, the New Students Orientation event in freshman year.

More meaningfully, though, I took an anthropology class at the Museum about globalization. Though it was a far walk from the rest of campus, it was definitely worth it; it was one of the few truly humanities-based classes I took as an undergrad studying business.

My most special memory was the Museum’s annual Chinese New Year festival. I was part of Penn Lions— a Chinese lion-dancing performing arts troupe—and we performed at the event. Several years in a row I performed in the Museum, and I got to spend time with guests who came from all over the community to enjoy the culture. It was one of my favorite performances to look forward to every year as an undergrad.

Branching Out After I graduated, I worked as a consultant in Philadelphia and did a year-long pro bono strategy project for the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. It was my first true exposure to what happens behind the scenes in running an art school and art museum, and one of the best chances I had to apply the skills that I had learned over the years. When that project ended, I had a void in my professional career of involvement beyond business. Through involvement with other Penn Alumni programming activities, I met Kristen Lauerman, who

above :

Shawn Shafiei in the Middle East Galleries.

was developing the Museum’s new Young Alumni Council. I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get involved in the Museum’s direction and jumped on it.

A Part of Something Greater When you step into a museum, it’s like stepping into a time machine. I think it’s important to preserve that history and culture for future generations, especially, the way I see it, the way globalization is going, with borders getting closer and closer just through technology. Every time I stepped into the Penn Museum it was humbling to be in the room with the Sphinx and all the columns—to just imagine how many people it took to work on these and what a role they played in ancient civilization and ancient culture. It helps put things into perspective and helps us remember how small we are in the history of people. I think for me that’s why it’s important to do whatever I can to support the Museum, to share what I’ve learned, and to give my perspective and offer whatever I can do to help. Ä EXPEDITION Spring 2019

59

MEMBER NEWS SAVE THE DATE FOR THESE UPCOMING MEMBERS’ EVENTS! MEMBERS-ONLY TOUR, ANCIENT EGYPT: FROM DISCOVERY TO DISPLAY Tuesday, May 21, 2019 | 3:30 pm Tour our latest exhibition with Dr. Jennifer Houser Wegner, Associate Curator, Egyptian Section.

RSVP FOR MEMBER EVENTS AT WWW.PENN.MUSEUM/CALENDAR AND CLICK ON “FOR MEMBERS” IN THE LEFT MENU. OR CALL 215.898.5093.

SPHINX SOIREE Thursday, June 6, 2019 | 6:00 pm As our iconic red granite Sphinx of Ramesses II prepares to move to its show-stopping new location in our Main Entrance Hall, learn about the Sphinx’s history—including its Egyptian origins, arrival in Philadelphia, and the complex engineering of its current move—in this informal lecture and celebration event. Led by Dr. Jennifer Houser Wegner, Associate Curator, Egyptian Section, and Robert Thurlow, Ancient Egypt and Nubia Galleries Project Manager.

above : The Sphinx, seen here through the gallery space that is currently Native American Voices, last greeted visitors at the Main Entrance for ten years before moving to the Coxe Wing in 1926.

60

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

MUSEUM NEWS

Museum Objects Travel the World The Penn Museum has an active loan program to institutions in the United States and abroad. Below is a selection of some of the objects currently out on loan.

If you live near any of these museums, you may want to visit!

HEARTS OF OUR PEOPLE: NATIVE AMERICAN WOMAN ARTISTS Minneapolis Institute of Art (Minneapolis, MN) May 26, 2019–August 18, 2019 Frist Center of Visual Arts (Nashville, TN) September 29, 2019–January 12, 2020 Fourteen American objects

HYMN TO APOLLO: THE ANCIENT WORLD AND THE BALLETS RUSSES Institute for the Study of the Ancient World (New York, NY) March 6, 2019–June 2, 2019 Four Mediterranean objects

above , hymn to apollo : Statuette, 400–300 BCE, PM object MS4025 and attic red-figure amphora with twisted handles, ca. 470–450 BCE, PM object MS5466.

THE WORLD BETWEEN EMPIRES: ART AND IDENTITY IN THE ANCIENT MIDDLE EAST Metropolitan Museum of Art (New York, NY) March 18, 2019–June 23, 2019 Three Near Eastern objects

left, the world between empires :

Mortuary stone, ca. 210–250 CE, PM object B8903 and mortuary stone, first half of the 3rd century CE, PM object B8907.

above , hearts of our people : Woman’s parka (tuilli), Inuit, ca. 1900, PM object NA2551 and twelve nesting baskets, Chitimacha, made by Clara Darden, ca. 1900, PM objects NA7796–NA7807.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

61

MUSEUM NEWS

Museum Overseers Welcome New Members At its February 2019 meeting, the Museum Board of Overseers was pleased to welcome two new members—Andrew R. Moelis, C10; and Herbert L. Sachs, W69, PAR. Andrew R. Moelis, C10 is a Principal at Camber Property Group (CPG), an emerging leader in mixed income and workforce housing development in New York City, where he focuses on business plan development while directing the firm’s overall investment and growth strategy. In the last three years under Andrew’s leadership, CPG has preserved or developed over 4,000 units of affordable housing in the New York metro area.

Prior to founding CPG, Andrew was a Strategic Planning Associate at Empire State Development, valuing and coordinating the disposition of public assets.

Andrew’s father, grandparents, aunt, uncle, and many cousins are fellow alumni, and in his Overseer role he continues a well-established family tradition of volunteer service at Penn. His interest in the ancient world and the Penn Museum collection ties back to classes taken in his

above :

Overseers group tour at the Museum, with Andrew R. Moelis (in center) with the white shirt.

62

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

undergraduate years at Penn.

He attends lectures on the ancient Near East whenever he can at the Institute for the Study of the Ancient World and the American Schools of Oriental Research. In addition to his Overseer service, Andrew is a founding member of the Penn Museum’s Young above : Herbert L. Sachs.

Alumni Council.

Herbert L. Sachs, W69, PAR is also from a family of many Penn graduates: he and his brother Keith, W67, met their future wives at Penn (Alice Snyder Sachs, CW69, and Katherine Stein Sachs, CW69), and have five Penn graduates among their six children. Herb and Alice both loved the Museum while students at Penn.

Herb is the recently retired President of Saxco International, LLC, a family-owned company supplying glass and other packaging to a large percentage of America’s wine, spirits, and craft beer producers. Alice is retired from teaching at Germantown Friends School. Herb serves as a Trustee at the Abington Health Foundation, a nonprofit philanthropy pillar program that financially supports the efforts of Abington/Jefferson Hospital and its affiliates. He is Honorary Vice President of the American Friends of Hebrew University, a nonprofit organization that connects the passions of Americans to the talent at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Herb is also President of the Beth Sholom Synagogue Preservation Foundation, a non-sectarian, nonprofit organization created to preserve the Beth Sholom Synagogue, a National Historic Landmark and the only synagogue ever designed by Frank Lloyd Wright. Herb and Alice reside in Rydal, Pennsylvania.

White Receives Award from Justice Department Joyce White, Ph.D., Consulting Scholar in the Museum’s Asian Section, assisted the U.S. government as an expert witness in a case involving the looting, smuggling, and illegal sale of over 10,000 Thai artifacts. Her expertise on the Ban Chiang, Thailand archaeological site, a 1974– 1975 Penn Museum excavation, was vital to the long investigation—Operation Antiquity—that finally closed with jail sentences and fines for tax evasion and antiquities smuggling. Dr. White’s work identifying looted artifacts and testifying in court earned her an award from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Journey to the City A Companion to the Middle East Galleries at the Penn Museum Edited by Steve Tinney and Karen Sonik Highlighting the most remarkable and interesting objects in the Museum’s extraordinary Middle East collections, this volume provides a larger context within which to understand them.

2019 | Cloth | 423 color illus. | $29.95

Excavations in the West Plaza of Tikal Tikal Report 17 William A. Haviland This volume reports on excavations carried out by Peter D. Harrison in the early 1960s in the West Plaza of the Maya center of Tikal, Guatemala.

2019 | Cloth | 52 illus. | $69.95

Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2A Background to the Study of the Metal Remains Edited by Joyce C. White and Elizabeth G. Hamilton This book is the first in a series of four volumes that review the contributions of Ban Chiang and three related sites in northeast Thailand excavated by the Penn Museum to understanding early metallurgy in Thailand.

2018 | Cloth | 27 illus. | $59.95

Ban Chiang, Northeast Thailand, Volume 2B Metals and Related Evidence from Ban Chiang, Ban Tong, Ban Phak Top, and Don Klang Edited by Joyce C. White and Elizabeth G. Hamilton 2019 | Cloth | 22 color, 135 b/w illus. | $79.95 top :

Joyce White at the Penn Museum. Photo by Ethan Wu. Dr. White working in the field, performing a test excavation in northern Laos. Photo by Cakacz, Wikimedia.

above :

Order online at www.pennpress.org.

EXPEDITION Spring 2019

63

PORTRAIT

Donald White

BY BRIAN ROSE

one of the penn museum’s most prominent archaeologists, Donald White, passed away on November 21 after a tragic car accident. Dr. White was emeritus professor of Classical Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania and Curator-in-Charge of the Penn Museum’s Mediterranean Section for over 30 years. He received his degrees from Harvard (B.A., 1957: Classics) and Princeton (Ph.D., 1963: Classical Archaeology), and subsequently taught at the University of Michigan in addition to Penn. He was the lead curator in the reinstallation of the Greece, Etruscan Italy, and Rome galleries in the Museum, to which he devoted nearly 13 years, and they still represent one of the Museum’s most successful re-installations.

He was especially well known as a field archaeologist. As a graduate student he joined Princeton’s excavation team at Morgantina in central Sicily, which led to a Ph.D. thesis on the introduction and spread of Demeter’s cult in Sicily. He then turned to the coastal region of Libya in North Africa, directing excavations at the port city of Apollonia (1965–1967) and then the Sanctuary of Demeter and Persephone at nearby Cyrene.

In a series of seasons lasting from 1969 until 1981, Dr. White and his international team excavated an enormous amount of the Cyrene sanctuary, with discoveries ranging from the 7th century BCE to the 3rd century CE. As series editor for the Cyrene Final Publications,

above left :

he edited five monographs and authored three more himself, including a volume on the Sanctuary’s architectural development, conflict with Christianity, and final days.

In 1984 he turned to the northwest coast of Egypt, where he conducted three seasons of excavation on a small island near the city of Marsa Matruh (ancient Greek Paraitonion, and the seat of Field Marshal Erwin Rommel during World War II). He concentrated on the Late Bronze Age (second millennium BCE) settlement and published his results in two volumes, demonstrating that the site marked an important western distribution point for Minoan, Mycenaean, and Cypriot pottery. At the time of his death he had just completed a magisterial historical overview of the horse in North Africa, from the Bronze Age to the 20th century, which serves as a testament to the vast scope of Dr. White’s knowledge and interests.

He was an active member and former President of the Numismatic and Antiquarian Society of Philadelphia, and a member of the Athenaeum of Philadelphia and the Archaeological Institute of America. He retired from Penn in 2003, and once summed up his career as a “bumpy but consistent road” that took him to a “uniquely interesting but never boring” part of the world. Ä brian rose , ph . d., is Curator-in-Charge of the Museum’s Mediterranean Section.

The family of Dr. White has established the Donald White Classical Archaeology Fieldwork Fund to provide financial support to Penn students who wish to conduct fieldwork in the Mediterranean.

For more information or to make a contribution to this fund contact Therese Marmion at 215.898.3165 or tmarmion@upenn.edu.

Excavating at Cyrene in the early 1970s. Photo by Susan Kane. above right: Donald White on his 71st birthday on April 2, 2006, as he leads a Penn Museum trip to Libya. He stands in front of the stage of the Roman theater at Sabratha. Photo by Joan White.

64

EXPEDITION Volume 61 Number 1

Now Available

Take the Middle East Galleries home with you!

members: WITH RICHLY COLORED IMAGES of objects, photos from the archaeological excavations featured in the Galleries, essays from all ten curators, and informative maps and timelines, this companion volume to the new Middle East Galleries invites you to continue exploring the wonders of the Penn Museum at home.

Use your special

15% membership discount to purchase your copy!

$29.95 • 440 pages • available in the museum shop Membership Office | 215.898.5093 | www.penn.museum EXPEDITION Spring 2019

65

3260 South Street | Philadelphia, PA | 19104

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID PERMIT #2563 PHILADELPHIA, PA 19104-6324, U.S.A.

Experience The Daily Dig One artifact. 15 minutes. Endless insights.

The Penn Museum is home to remarkable objects and their powerful stories. Every day at 1:00 pm, dig into a 15-minute exploration of an extraordinary artifact. Gain deeper insights into its history, cultural context, caretaking, and more while you hear the unique perspectives of archaeologists, anthropologists, scientists, conservators, archivists, and other Museum specialists. After the talk, you are welcome to explore your questions with the Museum presenter. For more information visit www.penn.museum/thedailydig.

FPO

www.penn.museum/expedition