PENN MUSEUM WILL PRESENT ‘UR’S SACRIFICIAL DEAD’ NOV. 29

AVV 10-17 #716233

PHILADELPHIA, PENN. — Penn Museum, the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, will present the annual Douglas G. Lovell Jr Report from the Field, “Rewriting the Tale of Ur’s Sacrificial Dead,” on Thursday, November 29, at 6 pm.

One of the most celebrated finds in the history of archaeology was the late 1920s discovery of the 4,600-year-old royal tombs of Ur, in what is now southern Iraq.

Faced with evidence of an unusual sort — the tombs of an apparent royal king and queen accompanied by as many as 74 sacrificial victims — excavation director Sir Leonard Woolley suggested that these servants were peacefully marched to their final resting place and ceremonially poisoned.

An ongoing, high-tech reanalysis of several of the skulls, however, is presenting a far different — and less gentle — picture. Dr Janet Monge, acting curator-in-charge of the Physical Anthropology section, and Aubrey Baadsgaard, PhD candidate in Anthropology, share their current findings, and talk about what future research may be able to tell us about these famous royal tombs. A reception follows the program, $40 general admission; $30 members.

Penn Museum is at 3260 South Street (on the Penn campus across from Franklin Field). For general information, www.museum.upenn.edu or 215-898-4890.