Special Exhibitions | Archaeological Museum

The Archaeological Museum periodically supports in-depth research projects and student-curated exhibitions. These exhibitions may arise through courses taught in the museum, collaborations with museum professional and student staff, or independent work by Johns Hopkins undergraduate and graduate students.

Below are the special exhibitions currently on view at the museum.

Photograph of a carved ivory doll of a woman from the Egyptian Islamic period, measuring approximately 11 cm tall. The figure has stylized features including wide, darkly outlined eyes, short hair or a cap, and one arm down by the side, the other missing. The legs are slightly separated with a central notch.

Just for Fun?

This exhibit explores the role of games in ancient and early Islamic Egypt, where play often carried ritual or symbolic meaning. Featuring 34 objects on loan from Eton College, the display also highlights the materials and techniques used to craft these objects. This exhibit was curated by Dr. Marie-Lys Arnette and the students in her Spring 2023 course, Egyptian Objects from the Eton College Myers Collection.

Photograph of an ancient Roman ceramic lamp. It is rectangular, with three oil holes in the center and ten wick holes along three of the sides: two on the left and right sides and six along the front. The handle is shaped like a leaf.

Intimate Objects: Collecting Martial’s Roman Party Favors

Curated by former graduate student, Ryan Warwick, this exhibit explores the literary and material history of Apophoreta (“Party Favors”), a collection of satirical poems by the Roman author Martial. Highlighting the types of gifts exchanged during the Saturnalia festival, the display pairs 15 objects from the museum collection with 2 rare printed editions of Martial’s work from JHU Special Collections.

Photograph of an ancient Egyptian dark red faience wedjat-eye amulet.

Ancient Egyptian Amulets

Curated by former graduate student, Ashley Fiutko Arico, and undergraduate student, Kierra Foley, this exhibit explores the magical and symbolic world of ancient Egyptian amulets—powerful objects worn in life and death to protect, heal, and connect with the divine. Featuring 28 amulets, the exhibit showcases the enduring role of magic in ancient Egyptian daily life and funerary practice.

Ancient Egyptian Blue-Painted Ware

This exhibit showcases 3 fragments of Egyptian blue-painted ware pottery on loan from the Eton College Myers Collection. Dating to the New Kingdom, these vessels reflect a distinctive decorative tradition that combined fine craftsmanship with striking “Amarna blue” designs—often floral —used in both elite and everyday settings.

Photograph of an ancient Egyptian light green faience collar terminal depicting an image of Tutankhamun wearing the Blue crown drinking from a lotiform chalice. His name is written in a cartouche below his elbow. The collar was once oval, but is now broken.

Ancient Egyptian Faience & Glass

Featuring 17 objects on loan from the Eton College Myers Collection, this exhibit explores the production, use, and significance of faience and glass in ancient Egypt—two luminous materials prized for their beauty, symbolism, and versatility.

Photograph of a fragmentary ancient Roman lead tablet inscribed in Latin with a curse. The fragments of the tablet are attached to a rectangular piece of fabric.

An Ancient Roman Lead Curse Tablet and Iron Nail

This exhibit features an ancient Roman curse tablet alongside the original nail used to fix it in place. Directed against an enslaved man named Plotius, the curse invokes a debilitating illness—likely malaria—as a form of supernatural punishment.

Photograph of an ancient Roman opaque green glass footed bowl with an everted rim.

The Roman House

This student-curated exhibition explores the Roman house as both a lived space and a cultural symbol, featuring 50 objects from the museum. Developed through a year-long graduate seminar series, the exhibit features thematic installations of Roman domestic artifacts, including lamps, glass vessels, figurines, and decorative elements designed to evoke the textures and meanings of everyday life in the ancient Roman world.

Photograph of a black hematite cylinder seal carved with a presentation scene featuring a female deity, wearing a flounced robe and horned headpiece. In front of her is a crescent moon and a jar.

Ancient Cylinder Seals

Curated by former graduate student, Anna Glenn, this exhibit features 15 intricately carved cylinder seals—small, engraved objects used to roll images and inscriptions into clay. Spanning millennia of use across the ancient Near East, these seals served both administrative and symbolic functions: acting as signatures, amulets, and markers of identity. The examples on display highlight a range of styles, materials, and themes, from divine encounters to mythical beasts, and offer a window into the social, religious, and artistic worlds of their makers.

Photograph of an open exhibit drawer with four ancient objects from Nippur accompanied by exhibit labels.

Season 4 Excavations at Nippur

Curated by former graduate student, Anna Glenn, this exhibit highlights 20 objects excavated from the ancient city of Nippur, located in present-day Iraq. Unearthed during the 1953-54 excavation season led by the former Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago and the American Schools of Oriental Research, these artifacts span nearly three millennia—from the Early Dynastic I Period (ca. 2900 BCE) to the Parthian Period (ca. 2nd c. CE).

Photograph of a modern ceramic rectangular tablet inscribed with lines of cuneiform text.

Modern Cuneiform Tablets Written by Paul Haupt

This exhibit showcases 4 modern cuneiform tablets created by Dr. Paul Haupt (1858-1926), noted Assyriologist and Professor of Semitic Languages at JHU. Written as personal gifts to his colleagues–including 2 addressed to JHU’s first president, Daniel Coit Gilman–these tablets blend scholarly expertise with playful homage to ancient Mesopotamian writing traditions.