New Book Tells the Story of Sphinx Sculpture at Penn Museum

The Sphinx when it was moved to Penn Museum’s Lower Egyptian Gallery in 1926.| Photo courtesy of Penn Museum

If you’ve taken a trip to the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology and Anthropology, you’ll probably recall being greeted by an enormous granite sphinx in the Egyptian gallery. Bearing the name of Ramesses II, it was excavated in Memphis, Egypt from the temple of the god of creation, Ptah. But the sphinx is as lively as it is elegant — two years ago, it celebrated its 100th anniversary in Philly with a large party hosted by the Museum.

Wondering what the real story is behind that empty expression? Museum curators Josef and Jennifer Houser Wegner offer an answer as they use this latest milestone to examine the sphinx’s place in the history of Philadelphia — and its oldest university. In their new book The Sphinx That Traveled to Philadelphia, the Wegners take readers through an extensive journey accompanied by archival records, images and maps that tell the story of the Museum’s most distinguished Egyptian guest.

The book will be available at the Museum’s shop on November 1st for $29.95, or you can buy it here.

The Sphinx today. | Courtesy of Penn Museum