Latest news with #PennMuseum
Technical.ly
7 days ago
- Business
- Technical.ly
This Philly art museum built its own edtech platform — now it's licensing it to fund the future
The Barnes Foundation is increasing its reach and revenue — not with the art it's known for, but for the tech it developed to better understand its collection. The museum's proprietary Virtual Experience Platform (VXP) brings its vast collection into the digital age. Students in its educational programming can see Claude Monet's brushstrokes up close and examine a Pierre-Auguste Renoir sculpture from every angle, with deep zoom and panoramas in tandem with class discussions. Now, the Penn Museum will gain access to the tech to help it make online classes more engaging, and the Barnes earns $37,000 in annual fees. 'The long-term health of museums does depend on how well you're able to get your unique platform and message out there,' said Steven Brady, deputy director for digital initiatives and chief technology officer at the Barnes Foundation. 'We always saw it as something that was able to sustain us, and we thought [it] could be a really big positive for other institutions.' The Penn Museum is the first institution to partner with the Barnes to license this technology. The agreement allows the museum to use the platform for an undisclosed number of live classes and on-demand content. The museum will also receive audio and visual tech support, plus data about their programs through the Barnes' impact and evaluation team, to track results. The Penn Museum will implement VXP for two virtual programs this fall, Deep Dig and Archaeology in Action, according to Jennifer Brehm, director of learning and public engagement at the Penn Museum. It's an upgrade from the current slide decks offering limited perspectives of the art to hopefully increase engagement, she told 'The fact that we can really zoom in on some of the excavations, or maybe on some X-rays, if we're doing conservation work,' Brehm said, 'can really help to illuminate these details in a whole new way.' The search for a sustainable funding model The Barnes holds a range of classes, some focused on specific pieces of art and others focused on wider collections, as a part of its community education efforts. Many of those sessions shifted online during and after the pandemic. Going virtual, however, meant students couldn't get as up close and personal with the art, according to Brady. The museum already had an online version of its collection, using scanned high-resolution photos of the art taken for insurance when the museum moved to its current location on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in 2012. Teachers, however, were looking for ways to make it more interactive, instead of just staring at static images. Launched in 2023, VXP displays 2D works like paintings as high-resolution images that students can zoom into, while 3D pieces such as sculptures — and even entire gallery spaces — are rendered as interactive models with 360-degree navigation. Industrywide, museums are constantly talking about how to design a more sustainable business model, Brady said. Many museums haven't recovered pre-pandemic numbers in terms of visitors and they aim to be less reliant on donor revenue and federal funding. The licensing model increases revenue and helps other museums expand their reach, he said. Licensing VXP out to others is the Barnes' way of doing that, while also increasing engagement, according to Brady. 'We were able to sustain ourselves with online educational revenue,' Brady said. 'There may be museums who don't care about revenue as much as outreach. And again, this serves that model as well.'
New York Post
23-06-2025
- General
- New York Post
Secret tomb linked to King Midas discovered — and it's oozing ‘a high level of wealth': scientists
It was a real goldmine. Archaeologists have discovered a 2,500-year-old tomb in Turkey that is potentially connected to King Midas — and contains rare artifacts and cremated remains of a high-ranking individual. 'Based on these artifacts, we estimate that the person in the tomb chamber may be a member of the royal family associated with Gordion and Midas,' Mehmet Nuri Ersoy, the Turkish minister of culture and tourism, announced at a news conference earlier this month, Live Science reported. Advertisement The excavations were carried out over four months by archaeologists with the Penn Museum in Philadelphia, PA and researchers with the Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University, The blinged-out burial ground, which dates back to the 8th century B.C., was discovered 60 miles west of the Turkish capital of Ankara in Gordion, the ancient capital of the Phrygian kingdom. 4 The Gordion dig site. 'The person buried here was not an ordinary person,' according to Yücel Şenyurt, co-director of the Gordion excavation. Penn Museum Advertisement This empire ruled over most of western and central Anatolia in the first millennium B.C, Fox News reported. Among the ancient civilization's most notable rulers was King Midas, who was depicted in Greek mythology as being able to turn anything he touched into gold — a parable against the dangers of unchecked greed. And while the real historical figure didn't literally gild items upon contact, he was likely no stranger to riches: There are reportedly 47 decadent burial mounds that have been excavated at Gordion. 4 An illustration showing the fictional King Midas accidentally turning his daughter to gold. Bettmann Archive Advertisement The latest one, Tumulus T-26, contained a wooden burial chamber brimming with a treasure trove of artifacts, including well-preserved iron tools and bronze implements. These 'attest to a high level of wealth,' according to C. Brian Rose, Gordion excavation co-director and an archaeologist at the University of Pennsylvania. 4 Researchers at the excavation site. Penn Museum Ersoy said they were the 'most concentrated group' of such artifacts after the hoard found in the previously-excavated Midas Mound, which contained a long coffin atop purple textiles that potentially housed a high-status official, possibly Midas' father Gordias. Advertisement In Tumulus T-26, archaeologists found cremated remains that were the oldest at the repository. 4 Aerial view of the ongoing excavations. Penn Museum 'What's really interesting is that it's a cremation burial,' said Rose, adding that 'this is the only example from the 8th century' at the site. This special treatment post-mortem 'clearly shows us that the person buried here was not an ordinary person,' according to Yücel Şenyurt, co-director of the Gordion excavation. Another factor that suggests a relation to King Midas was the tomb's proximity to the one where the golden ruler's father was likely interred. 'Royal tombs are often organized in clusters, so it seems likely that the newly excavated tombs belonged to his family,' C. Brian Rose told Fox News. Also notable were a pair of bronze cauldrons that were used to serve food at a funeral feast. While there was no food residue on said containers, archaeologists did find some 'from the funeral ceremony of Midas' father in 740 BCE,' according to Rose. Advertisement 'We therefore know that they served a spicy lentil and barbecued sheep or goat stew that was washed down with an alcoholic beverage – a mixture of grape wine, barley beer and honey mead,' he said. Some even sported wax strips with the name of the owner, so these dishes could be easily found if they were put down. Despite excavating the Gordion repository for over 75 years, archaeologists have a long way to go before they finish excavating the myriad structures and settlements housed there.
Indianapolis Star
13-06-2025
- Science
- Indianapolis Star
Archeologists discover 2,500-year-old Midas dynasty tomb in Turkey
A 2,500-year-old royal tomb has been discovered by archeologists at the site of an ancient city in Turkey. After four months of excavations, Penn Museum and Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University archeologists discovered a well-preserved royal tomb chamber that dates back to 8th century BCE (800 to 701 BCE). The tomb's roof was collapsed, but objects inside remained intact, including bronze vessels used during banquets, iron rods, a pair of large bronze cauldrons and assorted smaller bronze cauldrons, jugs and bowls, according to a news release. The tomb was discovered at the archeological site of Gordion, the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which controlled much of Asia Minor during the first millennium BCE, Gordion Excavation Director C. Brian Rose said in a news release. Gordion is located in northwest Turkey, about 60 miles southwest of Turkey's capital Ankara. At one time, Gordion was ruled by King Midas, famously known for his "golden touch." Archeologists believe that the newly-discovered tomb may have belonged to a member of the Midas dynasty. Iron Age archaeological find: British 'bling' from 2,000 years ago included horse harnesses Archeologists used magnetic prospection technology to find the tomb, a news release states. This geophysical method uses variations in Earth's magnetic field to identify objects below the surface, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To archeologists' surprise, the tomb indicated a cremated burial. Up until this latest excavation, researchers believed the first cremation to occur in Gordion was more than 100 years later. Vessels inside the tomb also featured textiles adhered to their exterior, which indicate that textiles were an important industry in Gordion, Rose said in a news release. 3,000-year-old Mayan city unearthed: Why it's named 'The Grandparents' The tomb was located near and appeared like the Midas Mound tomb, which is believed to have housed the body of King Midas' father. The Gordion site has proved fruitful for archeologists for 75 years, since Penn Museum began leading excavations there in 1950. Previous excavations included the oldest wooden building in the world, dating back to 740 BCE. Others include the earliest colored stone mosaics found in Gordion, the best-preserved citadel gate of the first millennium and a gilded ivory sphinx of the 6th century BCE, according to a news release.
The Herald Scotland
13-06-2025
- Science
- The Herald Scotland
2,500-year-old royal tomb from Midas dynasty discovered in Turkey
The tomb was discovered at the archeological site of Gordion, the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which controlled much of Asia Minor during the first millennium BCE, Gordion Excavation Director C. Brian Rose said in a news release. Gordion is located in northwest Turkey, about 60 miles southwest of Turkey's capital Ankara. At one time, Gordion was ruled by King Midas, famously known for his "golden touch." Archeologists believe that the newly-discovered tomb may have belonged to a member of the Midas dynasty. Iron Age archaeological find: British 'bling' from 2,000 years ago included horse harnesses Archeologists used magnetic prospection technology to find the tomb, a news release states. This geophysical method uses variations in Earth's magnetic field to identify objects below the surface, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To archeologists' surprise, the tomb indicated a cremated burial. Up until this latest excavation, researchers believed the first cremation to occur in Gordion was more than 100 years later. Vessels inside the tomb also featured textiles adhered to their exterior, which indicate that textiles were an important industry in Gordion, Rose said in a news release. 3,000-year-old Mayan city unearthed: Why it's named 'The Grandparents' The tomb was located near and appeared like the Midas Mound tomb, which is believed to have housed the body of King Midas' father. The Gordion site has proved fruitful for archeologists for 75 years, since Penn Museum began leading excavations there in 1950. Previous excavations included the oldest wooden building in the world, dating back to 740 BCE. Others include the earliest colored stone mosaics found in Gordion, the best-preserved citadel gate of the first millennium and a gilded ivory sphinx of the 6th century BCE, according to a news release. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
USA Today
12-06-2025
- Science
- USA Today
Archeologists discover 2,500-year-old Midas dynasty tomb in Turkey
Archeologists discover 2,500-year-old Midas dynasty tomb in Turkey Show Caption Hide Caption Archeologists uncover skeletons in 'Indiana Jones' filming location 'Expedition Unknown' host Josh Gates joined the excavation of a tomb beneath Petra that is estimated to be at least 2,000 years old. A 2,500-year-old royal tomb has been discovered by archeologists at the site of an ancient city in Turkey. After four months of excavations, Penn Museum and Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli University archeologists discovered a well-preserved royal tomb chamber that dates back to 8th century BCE (800 to 701 BCE). The tomb's roof was collapsed, but objects inside remained intact, including bronze vessels used during banquets, iron rods, a pair of large bronze cauldrons and assorted smaller bronze cauldrons, jugs and bowls, according to a news release. The tomb was discovered at the archeological site of Gordion, the capital of the Phrygian kingdom, which controlled much of Asia Minor during the first millennium BCE, Gordion Excavation Director C. Brian Rose said in a news release. Gordion is located in northwest Turkey, about 60 miles southwest of Turkey's capital Ankara. At one time, Gordion was ruled by King Midas, famously known for his "golden touch." Archeologists believe that the newly-discovered tomb may have belonged to a member of the Midas dynasty. Iron Age archaeological find: British 'bling' from 2,000 years ago included horse harnesses Archeologists used magnetic prospection technology to find the tomb, a news release states. This geophysical method uses variations in Earth's magnetic field to identify objects below the surface, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. To archeologists' surprise, the tomb indicated a cremated burial. Up until this latest excavation, researchers believed the first cremation to occur in Gordion was more than 100 years later. Vessels inside the tomb also featured textiles adhered to their exterior, which indicate that textiles were an important industry in Gordion, Rose said in a news release. 3,000-year-old Mayan city unearthed: Why it's named 'The Grandparents' The tomb was located near and appeared like the Midas Mound tomb, which is believed to have housed the body of King Midas' father. The Gordion site has proved fruitful for archeologists for 75 years, since Penn Museum began leading excavations there in 1950. Previous excavations included the oldest wooden building in the world, dating back to 740 BCE. Others include the earliest colored stone mosaics found in Gordion, the best-preserved citadel gate of the first millennium and a gilded ivory sphinx of the 6th century BCE, according to a news release. Greta Cross is a national trending reporter at USA TODAY. Story idea? Email her at gcross@
