Special Exhibits

Mythical Human-Headed Sphinx

Relief from the outer face of the balustrade of the Central Building, Persepolis, Iran (P. 23185). A photograph from the special exhibit "Persepolis: Images of an Empire."

Special Exhibit

October 13, 2015 – September 3, 2017

Aerial photograph of Rujm el-Hiri

Rujm el-Hiri (Arabic for “the stone heap of the wild cat”), is an enigmatic construction on the Golan Heights, possibly dated to the Chalcolithic or Early Bronze Age (c. 4500–2000 BC). Although probably a ritual structure, it is unclear whether it was related to astronomical, calendrical, or mortuary purposes.

Special Exhibit

November 22, 2016 – Ongoing

On the road to Alishar

Oriental Institute archaeologists excavated the mound known today as Alishar Höyük, or “mound of Alishar” in the late 1920s and early 1930s. Photographed: Maria von der Osten, Driver, Translator, Hans Henning von der Oster, 1926 (N. 6357).

From Papyrus Milbank (E10486J), this illustration is associated with Book of the Dead spell 125.

Current and Upcoming shows

Persepolis: Images of an Empire
October 13, 2015 – September 3, 2017
Drones over the Desert: Archaeology and Aerial Photography
November 22, 2016 – August 13, 2017
The First 100 Years: Anatolian Studies in Chicago
August 28, 2017 – ongoing
The Book of the Dead: Becoming God in Ancient Egypt
October 3, 2017 – March 31, 2018

Virtual Tour of the Oriental Institute Museum

The Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago

Mythical Human-Headed Sphinx

Aerial photograph of Rujm el-Hiri

On the road to Alishar

Current and Upcoming shows

Virtual Tour of the Oriental Institute Museum

Persepolis and Ancient Iran Catalog of Expedition Photographs

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