On the bright spring morning of April 16, a group of Friends of ASOR gathered just inside the entrance of the Penn Museum. There was a shared sense of anticipation for the next two days of stepping into the working world of museums and collections, archaeology, and curation. Our Friends of ASOR in Philadelphia tour gave the opportunity not simply to see the incredible objects of some of the city’s greatest institutions, but also to encounter them in context, guided by the scholars and specialists who found and study them.

Among Ancient Worlds at the Penn Museum

The first day kicked off in the Penn Museum’s Middle East Galleries, where towering Assyrian reliefs and intricately inscribed tablets offered a powerful introduction to the ancient Near East. Moving through the galleries together, the group learned not only how these objects were made, used, found, and but also how they were ultimately brought into museum collections.

In the Ancient Egypt in Watercolors exhibition, Dr. Josef Wegner gave the group the special insight into materials found at Dra Abu el-Naga, as well as the exemplary, century-old watercolors documenting Egyptian tomb paintings. Created by Egyptian artist Ahmed Yousef during Penn Museum excavations in the early 1920s, these paintings vividly record elaborately decorated funerary chapels from Dra Abu el-Naga, a key burial ground of elite officials and priests during Egypt’s New Kingdom (ca. 1550–1070 BCE).

By the afternoon, the tour shifted from the public galleries into spaces few visitors ever see. Inside the Center for the Analysis of Archaeological Materials led by Dr. Marie-Claude Boileau, the Near Eastern Storage with Dr. Katy Blanchard, and Tablet Room with Dr. Phil Jones and Dr. Steve Tinney, participants stepped into laboratories where archaeology is not just displayed, but actively practiced. Specialists explained how materials are analyzed to reveal stories invisible to the naked eye.

What had begun as observation became a deeper understanding of the meticulous work and stories that underlie each museum display.

A New Lens at the Barnes Foundation

The second day began at the Barnes Foundation, where a private lecture led by Dr. Kaelin Jewell offered a different lens on the ancient world through Albert Barnes’s philosophy on art and collecting antiquities. Rather than focusing solely on archaeology, the conversation broadened to include the history of collecting, display, and interpretation, as well as identifying the potential pitfalls of collecting and forgeries.

Moving through the galleries, participants encountered Egyptian, Greek, and Roman objects in dialogue with paintings and decorative arts from across centuries. The juxtaposition invited new questions: How do we interpret ancient objects outside of archaeological contexts? What stories and patterns emerge when they are placed alongside later works?

Hidden Treasures at the Philadelphia Museum of Art

That afternoon, the group arrived at the Philadelphia Museum of Art for one of the tour’s most exclusive and intimate moments: a visit to the Abigail Rebecca Cohen Study Room. Here, away from the crowds, participants gathered around tables as works on paper—prints, drawings, and photographs—were carefully brought out for close viewing. ASOR President Dr. Jane DeRose Evans welcomed the group and joined in the afternoon’s close and unique encounter with the Prints Collection.

Without glass barriers or gallery noise, each object was given ample time and reflection by the viewer. Fine lines, subtle textures, and traces of the artist’s hand and eye became visible up close. Conversations unfolded naturally with curator Nora Rosengarten, guided by curiosity and up-close observation.

It was, in many ways, a fitting conclusion to the tour: a reminder that the study of the past is as much about careful observation as it is about grand narratives.

Lasting Connections

Across the two days, what emerged most clearly was a sense of shared discovery. Participants were active participants in an ongoing dialogue by asking questions, making connections, and engaging directly with the people who dedicate their careers to understanding the past.

These two days defined the Friends of ASOR tour experience. The FOA tours offer not only access, but a deeper understanding of how archaeology and museums work together to preserve and interpret human history.