Penn Museum Highlights Women’s History with Online Tour

PHILADELPHIA — “Queens, Warriors, and Archaeologists: Women of the Penn Museum,” a new virtual tour scheduled for March 5 and March 20 at 7:00 pm ET, focuses on women’s history, along with their contributions to the fields of archaeology and anthropology.

The two-hour virtual experience shares the untold stories of women and the different roles they played throughout history, such as warriors, queens, political advisors, writers, and artists, who were often invisible or overshadowed by men in the past. It illustrates how different societies think about concepts like gender and womanhood.

Tracing stories of famous and not-so-famous women from the Penn Museum, it also uncovers tales of adventurous women archaeologists who excavated ancient sites and translated undeciphered texts.

Amanda Grady, Group Sales Manager and program organizer says this virtual tour doubles as an opportunity to support women-owned businesses and restaurants that are still recovering from setbacks amid COVID-19.

“We encourage all tour participants to purchase dinner or drinks from a woman-owned business near them and enjoy those refreshments during our live program,” Grady says. “Because this tour is virtual, attendees can join from all over the globe. We hope that this program will encourage people to seek out and discover new local businesses with women at the helm.”

In Philadelphia, these women-owned businesses include:

• Franny Lou’s Porch, 2400 Coral St.
• Dock Street Brewery, 2118 Washington Ave. or 701 S. 50th St.
• Triple Bottom Brewing, 915 Spring Garden St.
• Jet Wine Bar, 1525 South St.
• Jezabel’s Argentine Café & Bakery, 206-208 S. 45th St.
• Booker’s Restaurant, 5021 Baltimore Ave.
• Mina’s World, 511 S. 52nd St.
• Good King Tavern, 614 S. 7th St
• Sazon Restaurant and Café, 941 Spring Garden St.
• Kalaya Thai Kitchen, 764 S. 9th St.
• Casa Mexico, 1134 S. 9th St.
• Food for Your Soul, 2039 S. 5th St.
• Vegan-ish, 1214 N. 52nd St.
• Fork, 306 Market St.
• El Merkury, 2104 Chestnut St.

“In this tour, we celebrate the amazing women represented by the collections and research of the Penn Museum—from a queen who ruled the city of Ur more than 4,000 years ago to contemporary Native artists whose work is on display in the galleries,” says Dr. Sarah Linn, a research liaison whose expertise has informed the development of the tour. “While it might be harder to ‘see’ women in the archaeological or historical record, we all benefit from hearing their stories and honoring their contributions.”

The cost to attend the tour is $10. Registration is required.