Zahi Hawass and the Secrets of the Pyramids

Archaeology’s answer to Carl Sagan has generated unprecedented interest in Egypt’s past and believes that science and history can “create love between countries.” In a world of increasing tensions, he says that mission is more important than ever.

The Stamp Seal Mystery

A Bronze Age mound in Central Asia yielded a tantalizing clue to a “new” ancient civilization. For archaeologist Fred Hiebert, it was one more reason why Raphael Pumpelly was right.

Silk Across the Sands

A rare exhibition of artifacts from Uzbekistan at the Arthur Ross Gallery offers a tantalizing glimpse of the cultures along the Silk Road. So did a symposium at the University Museum.

The Bible’s People

A new permanent exhibit at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology draws on artifacts from excavations spanning much of the century to reveal the daily lives of the Bronze and Iron age inhabitants of Canaan and ancient Israel.

Reflections on the Roman World

The curator of a show of Roman glass now at the University Museum tells how the ancient glassworking industry reveals as much about the Romans as their architecture, thirst for conquest, or tendency to murder their emperors.