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Joint Expedition to Nippur, Iraq

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Held at: University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives [Contact Us]3260 South Street, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 19104-6324

This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.

Overview and metadata sections

Call Number:
1024
Repository:
University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives
Extent:
4.0 linear feet
Language:
English
Date:
1948-1952 (inclusive)
Form:
Photographs
Abstract:
The Joint Expedition to Nippur was conducted by the University of Chicago Oriental Institute and the University of Pennsylvania. The collaboration lasted for three seasons until Penn withdrew in 1952. The collection consists of four archival boxes organized into four series.

The Penn Museum had excavated at the ancient site of Nippur, Iraq from 1889 to 1900, under the direction of John P. Peters and Hermann V. Hilprecht. In 1948, the Penn Museum decided to return to the site, and teamed up with the Oriental Institute, University of Chicago, for a Joint Expedition to Nippur, under Donald McCown. Francis R. Steele was the Museum’s representative. The OI-Penn collaboration continued for three seasons, until Penn withdrew in 1952, to be briefly replaced by the American Schools of Oriental Research. Subsequently, the Oriental Institute continued to work alone until the outbreak of the Persian Gulf War in 1991. The first portion of this expedition (1948-1952) concentrated on the area of the ziggurat and the adjacent mound called Tablet Hill. The earlier Penn excavators gave the name Tablet Hill or the Scribal Quarter to that mound in the belief that all or most of the scribes at Nippur had lived in that one part of the site. However, written records of the governmental offices and numerous private businesses were found all over Nippur.

In 1948 a joint University of Chicago Oriental Institute-Penn Museum expedition resumed work at the site of Nippur, Iraq under Donald McCown. The OI-Penn collaboration continued for three seasons, until Penn withdrew in 1952. The Joint Expedition to Nippur records consist of one box of textual records organized into three series. The correspondence series contains legal documents, memos, budgets and general letters between the principals. It is arranged chronologically.

The Catalogues series comprises a register and census of tablets. The series dealing with Skeletal Descriptions includes data on male, female, and children’s remains.

The last series consists of expedition photographs, including images of architecture, skeletal remains and pottery. These are arranged by field photograph number, or topically, and are housed in three boxes.

People
Subject
Place

Publisher
University of Pennsylvania: Penn Museum Archives
Finding Aid Author
Finding aid prepared by Amanda Ball

Collection Inventory

General 1948-Feb. 1949.
Box 1
General 1950-March 1951.
Box 1
General May 1951-April 1952.
Box 1
General July 1952-1953, 1955.
Box 1
General 1966-1967.
Box 1

Tablet Register.
Box 1

Nippur TA children, 25 1950.
Box 1
Male Nippur TA, Levels 0(?), I, II, Achaemenean 550-400 BC, 26 1950.
Box 1
Female, Nippur TA, levels 0(?), I, II Achaemenean 550-400 BC, 27 1950.
Box 1
Female, Nippur TA, Babylonian levels III, IV, 28 1950.
Box 1
Male, Islamic, surface levels, TA, 29 1950.
Box 1
Male, Nippur TB, 30 1950.
Box 1
Female, islamic, surface level, TA, 31 1950.
Box 1
Female, Babylonian, levels III, IV, TA, 32 1950.
Box 1
TA sex measurements, Jan 1949.
Box 1
Measurements 1950.
Box 1
TB children 1950.
Box 1
Sex unknown, TB 1950.
Box 1
Female, TB 1950.
Box 1
Male, Kassite, ca. 14th cent. B.C., levels VI-VII, TA 1950.
Box 1

Photo reference- Photo + object numbers.
Box 1
Unnumbered-Features I.
Box PA NE 24
Unnumbered-Features II.
Box PA NE 24
Unnumbered-Team and Trench.
Box PA NE 24
Unnumbered-Skeletal Remains.
Box PA NE 24
Architecture.
Box PA NE 24
Impressions and Seals to Duplicate.
Box PA NE 24
Skull and Burials, Folder IV A.
Box PA NE 25
Skulls and Burials Folder IV B.
Box PA NE 25
Skulls and Burials. Photos and lists of numbers.
Box PA NE 25
Physical Description

Photos and lists of numbers

Skeletal Remains and Skulls.
Box PA NE 25
Features.
Box PA NE 25
Seals.
Box PA NE 25
Trench and Team.
Box PA NE 25
Site Plans.
Box PA NE 25
Artifacts figurines and jewelry.
Box PA NE 25
Pottery.
Box PA NE 25
Small Prints #1-364.
Box PA NE 26
Small Prints- #365-557.
Box PA NE 26
Small Prints (5x7)- #558-1032.
Box PA NE 26
Misc. Photographs.
Box PA NE 26
Large Prints w/ no numbers.
Box PA NE 26
Large Prints #42-148.
Box PA NE 26
Large Prints #152-319.
Box PA NE 26
Large Prints #321-717.
Box PA NE 26

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