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2025 FALL LECTURES
December 13, 2025
Anthro Classroom 345
2:30 PM*
*Please note time change!
Lecture & Hands-On Workshop*
Lecture followed by Annual Holiday Party
Workshop participants will be invited to create their own Predynastic Egyptian style cosmetic palette.
*Please RSVP for the workshop & holiday party so that we get an accurate count of supplies
info@arce-pa.org
"More Than a Cosmetic Fix:
How Experimental Archaeology Can Address the Issue of Burial Goods in the Museum Setting"
The Egyptian mummy as a cultural artifact has for more than a century been a focal point of interest within the Egyptological community and the museum-going public.In more recent years, however, the public has begun to raise concerns over the display of human bodies as museum objects. Is there another way to share with the public the richness of Egyptian funerary belief and tradition without invading the bodies of the individuals who were at the center of these practices? In this talk and workshop the authors will argue that by using the imaging, scanning, and 3-D printing technologies available to us today, it is possible to both scientifically study Egyptian mummification practices and share those findings with the public while still respecting the humans who provide us that information.
Workshop participants will be invited to create their own Predynastic Egyptian style cosmetic palette.
Dr Jane Hill's Bio
Dr. Jane Hill holds a doctorate in Egyptian Archaeology from the University of Pennsylvania’s Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations. She also holds masters degrees in anthropology and art history/Egyptology from the University of Memphis. She has excavated and done epigraphic work on archaeological projects at the sites of Giza, Abydos, el-Amra, Saqqara, and Karnak Temple in Luxor Egypt. At el-Amra she discovered evidence of a Predynastic Egyptian town and cult center. In the U.S., Dr. Hill has excavated Native American sites of the Mississippian Period in the southeast region. Currently Dr. Hill teaches anthropology, archaeology and Egyptian Archaeology at Rowan University where she serves as curator of the Museum of Anthropology at Rowan University (MARU). Her research interests include co-development of major elite cemeteries and urbanism in Upper Egypt's formative period, and the development of Egyptian administrative and writing systems.
Isabella Pilla's Bio:
Isabella Pilla is an emerging museum professional and recent graduate from Rowan University, where she earned a dual degree in Anthropology and Psychology. During her time as a research assistant at Rowan’s Museum of Anthropology, she curated a project to explore the ancient Egyptian material culture and public engagement through archaeology. Her research focuses on the ethical concerns of ancient mummified displays and the application of experimental archaeological to research ancient artifacts in a non-invasive manner. Isabella currently works at Edelman Fossil Park and Museum where she continues to support educational programming and visitor engagement.
LECTURES FALL 2025:
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December 13, 2025
Lecture & Hands- On Workshop
Lecture followed by Annual Holiday Party
Classroom L2
Dr. Jane Hill, Rowan University
Isabella Pilla, Rowan University
"More Than a Cosmetic Fix: How Experimental Archaeology Can Address the Issue of Burial Goods in the Museum Setting"
Isabella Pilla, Rowan University
"More Than a Cosmetic Fix: How Experimental Archaeology Can Address the Issue of Burial Goods in the Museum Setting"
Saturday January 10, 2026
Meet up at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
"Divine Egypt" Exhibit
Please keep an eye on your emails for more information!
SPRING 2026
Please keep an eye on your email boxes as we make arrangements for our Spring Lectures!
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General Lecture Info for In-Person ARCE-PA Lecture Events:
All lectures are FREE for ARCE-PA members and ARCE Members.
Entrance fees for ARCE-PA In-Person Lectures are:
$10 for the general public
$7 for Penn Museum members/Penn Staff/Penn Faculty
$5 for Students with ID
FREE for ARCE-PA Members, ARCE Members, & children under 12, unless otherwise stated.
All ARCE-PA entry fees will be taken at the door only of the lecture venue at the ARCE-PA table.
We will not accept entry fees via Paypal for In-Person Lectures.
Light refreshments will be served starting at 3 pm.
Per the Penn Museum COVID-19 protocols, masks are optional.
Light refreshments will be served starting at 3 pm.
Per the Penn Museum COVID-19 protocols, masks are optional.
If you are interested in joining ARCE or need to renew your membership*, please visit:
https://www.arce.org/membership
*Please do not forget to associate with the "Pennsylvania Chapter" in order to stay up to date with ARCE-PA events.
