Upcoming Events

Planning Your Visit

Exhibits:
Ancient Cyprus

Nuzi & the Hurrians

The Houses of Ancient Israel

(Archived: The Sphinx
& the Pyramids)

The Cesnola
On-line Publication

Ashkelon Excavations

The Shelby White-Leon Levy
Program for Archaeological Publications

Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations (NELC)

Historical Photographs of the Middle East (Bonfils Photographs)

The Semitic Museum is one of the Harvard University Museums, housing collections of archaeological materials from the Ancient Near East. Our current exhibits explore everyday life in ancient Israel during the Iron Age; a 2nd millennium BCE Hurrian city, located in modern-day Iraq; and the history of ancient Cyprus through ceramics and metal objects. You will find links to these exhibits above, as well as other information on the Museum, our activities, and helpful information for visitors. As always, all exhibits are free and open to the public.

The Sphinx and the Pyramids exhibit closed in 2002, but you can access a brief outline and images through the archived exhibit link.

About the Museum
Information about the history of the Semitic Museum, its current goals and foci, exhibits, research, and publications. Information about the Museum's Docent Program is also available.

Planning Your Visit: Helpful Information
The location of the Museum, hours of operation, and contact information.

Exhibits:

The Cesnola Collection from Ancient Cyprus
In 1995, the Semitic Museum received approximately 1350 items from Stanford University as part of an exchange. These items are from the collection of General Luigi Palma di Cesnola, American Consul to Cyprus in the mid-1800's. A selection was placed on display in 1997; the majority of the collection is now online, as the Semitic Museum's Cesnola Online Publication.

Nuzi & the Hurrians: Fragments from a Forgotten Past
The ancient city of Nuzi, in West-Central Mesopotamia, was excavated in the 1920's-1930's by a team from Harvard. This Hurrian provincial town gives us a unique insight to life in that region during the later Second Millenium BCE; one of its highlights is the thousands of cuneiform tablets from all genres, reporting details of daily events and activities. This exhibit opened in April 1998, and focuses on the historical development of the region and the lives of Nuzi's inhabitants.

The Cesnola Online Publication
The Semitic Museum is in the process of putting its collection of Cypriot antiquities from the Cesnola Collection online. This publication also contains information about Cypriot archaeology and chronology, as well as material culture in ancient Cyprus from the Early Bronze Age to the Byzantine period.

Ashkelon, Israel: The Leon Levy Expedition
The Leon Levy Expedition to Ashkelon began in 1985, and continues each summer. This link will take you to information on how to participate on the excavation, as well as other details on their finds in recent years.

The White-Levy Publication Project at the Semitic Museum
The White-Levy Publication Project is dedicated to providing funds to publish the results of excavations which were completed in the field more than 5 years ago, yet which remain unpublished and therefore unavailable to the archaeological community. These pages have information and links for those wishing to apply for a grant.

The Dept. of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations (NELC)
The Department of Near Eastern Languages & Civilizations at Harvard University is a division of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences. They offer a wide range of courses in Ancient History, Languages, Archaeology, Cultures, and other related areas. Programs are available for both undergraduate and graduate degrees, as well as post-doctoral study opportunities.