iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Kelsey Museum mood board 📌 Come stop by and find your own favorite part of the museum. #kelseymuseum #pinterest #ancienthistory #museums #umich

A digital media layout similar to a Pinterest board displaying a grid of photographs and graphics related to the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology. The images include shots of the exterior stone architecture of Newberry Hall, an undergraduate educator interacting with a child during Family Day, the Fox Memorial stained-glass window above a couch, a Kelsey museum banner featuring ancient pottery, a framed “People of Rome” card displayed on a wooden staircase, a panel from the Villa of the Mysteries watercolor reconstructions, close-up details of architectural columns of Newberry Hall, carved wooden lintels hanging on a gallery wall, and a close-up of an artifact label for “Augustus, First Emperor of Rome.”

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 14/04/2026

This Friday (4/17) at 12:00 PM EDT, Sergio Alivernini (Oriental Institute of the Czech Academy of Sciences) will discuss politics, intrigue, and espionage found in tablets from the Mesopotamian Kingdom of Mari (ca. 2900–1762 BCE). 🕵️🗺️ Register here to join: forms.gle/YLa4fXgc6redYExFA.

A tablet of Zimri Lim, a roughly rectangular clay tablet with Akkadian inscriptions.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 01/04/2026

“We hold these truths to be self-evident…” 📜 As the U.S. approaches its 250th anniversary, the Kelsey is reflecting on how ideas from the ancient world influenced our nation. We’re excited to share that we received a U.S. at 250 grant to mount a new case to highlight this milestone. Stay tuned!

Oil painting showing a group of five men presenting a pile of documents to another group of men seated at a table in an ornate chamber. A larger group of men is seated in the background of the room, watching the exchange.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 26/03/2026

Covered in encroaching moss lies the unassuming remains of a wall once used to contain Spartacus’s legendary rebellion. Register at myumi.ch/bVmjX for Paolo Visonà’s virtual Flash Talk on the story Italy’s Dossone della Melia forest has to tell. 🌳⚔️

Remains of a stone wall, covered with moss and with a meter stick balanced on top, in an Italian forest.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 20/03/2026

Today is the Spring Equinox. To welcome spring, we are sharing a textile (KM 91063) from Late Antique–Islamic Egypt. Lotus flowers, often represent regeneration and transformation, much like the changing of the season.🪷🌄 📷 Linen textile fragment with red, orange, and dark blue lotus petals.

Beige linen textile fragment with red, orange, and dark blue lotus petals embroidered in wool yarn.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 13/03/2026

Play has shaped how children have learned for millennia. Ancient mini weaving and spinning tools show how children developed craft skills through imitation and practice. Come see “Learning Through Play: Childhood and Textile Craft in Roman Egypt,” curated by Heidi Hilliker, on view until May 25.🧵

Heidi Hilliker, wearing a U-M Middle East Studies crewneck, stands next to the “Learning Through Play” case and exhibit panel in the Kelsey Museum. The vitrine contains full-size and miniature ancient tools, as well as modern toys related to weaving and sewing.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 27/12/2025

“Our minds must relax: they will rise better and keener after a rest.” —Seneca 🧘🏾‍♀️🧠 Looking for some archaeological entertainment on your holiday break? Catch up on some Kelsey Museum lectures from the fall semester on our YouTube channel: myumi.ch/pVQ89. 📱

Aerial view of the archaeological site of Vindolanda in northern England. In the foreground is a fort enclosed by a stone wall, while rolling green fields are visible in the background.

Students working on the Kea project in a storage building. Lauren Alberti holds up a triangular object for the camera, while a group of additional objects are scattered on a table in front of her.

Looking into a tomb at Leptiminus. Toward the top is a small niche in the wall with a round object within; pottery pieces can be seen on the ground, along with two larger intact amphorae, standing near a measuring stick.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 12/12/2025

The Kelsey Museum is excited to offer memberships for archaeology enthusiasts and museum lovers alike. Give yourself or an ancient history adventurer in your life the gift of a Kelsey membership. 🎁🎄 Learn more and check out our revamped membership program here: myumi.ch/9pNMA.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

It’s time for a Kelsey virtual Flash Talk! IPAMAA PhD candidate Laurel Fricker will present a Flash Talk based on her research and recent exhibition, “Through the Lens: Examining Colorful Objects from Karanis.” Learn more and register here: myumi.ch/dg711.

Laurel, wearing a shirt patterned with lemons, smiles from next to a photography setup in the Conservation Lab. A camera is trained on a terracotta figurine of the god Harpocrates.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

It’s #WorldOliveTreeDay, and the Kelsey would like to share some olive-tastic photos and objects from our collection! 🫒 1) Olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane. 2) U-M photographer George R. Swain in the Mount of Olives. 3) Karanis olive pressing (2nd–4th c. CE). Have an olive-ly day! ✨😉

An archival photo of an old olive tree with a huge trunk encircled by stone pavers in the garden of Gethsemane.

Black-and-white archival photo of George Swain on a donkey in front of an olive tree.

Olive pressing uncovered during Kelsey excavations in Karanis, Egypt. It is a golden, sandy color and appears to have a smooth texture, but small fragments or seed pieces and olive skins can be made out upon closer inspection.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 21/11/2025

We present to you…the Kelsey’s fall 2025 newsletter! 🎊✨ Learn about the strides and indelible mark the Kelsey Museum’s staff, students, and partners are making in the field of archaeology. 🔗 Check out the newsletter here: myumi.ch/mR1Qj.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 03/11/2025

Fall is here! 🍁🍂 In Michigan, that means apple orchards, bright orange and red leaves, and balmy days. In the spirit of harvest, this #ArtifactOfTheWeek highlights a grain scoop uncovered in 1924 during Michigan’s excavations in Karanis, Egypt, dating to the Roman period (2nd–3rd century CE). 🍎🌾🫒

Semioval-shaped scoop made of dark grain wood with visible nails. The wood is in overall good condition and shows some cracks, chips, and wear.

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 25/10/2025

The Kelsey Museum welcomes Henrike Florusbosch to the team as its new chief administrator! To learn more about Henrike’s background, visit myumi.ch/2r2bJ. Welcome to the Kelsey, Henrike! We look forward to your contributions. 👏

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Kelsey Museum of Archaeology, University of Michigan @kelseymuseum.bsky.social · 24/10/2025

On November 1, 2025, the Grand Egyptian Museum will celebrate its long-awaited opening with a gala attended by royalty and world leaders in a state-of-the-art facility. Join the Kelsey Museum and friends for a free, public livestream of the festivities. Register at myumi.ch/y1j5y.

The front entrance of the Grand Egyptian Museum, featuring a triangular, pyramid-inspired entryway surrounded by a wall of hieroglyphs.

View of the Grand Egyptian Museum’s interior, including its high ceiling with natural light coming through and a monolithic statue of a pharaoh.

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