A New Name for the Harvard Semitic Museum

The Harvard Semitic Museum will now be known as the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East (HMANE). The new name is designed to be more inclusive and accurately reflect the diversity of the museum’s collection.

Founded in 1889, the museum was conceived as a teaching tool to study the ancient histories and cultures of people who spoke Semitic languages, among them Israelites, Moabites, Arabs, Babylonians, and Phoenicians.

The museum’s focus remains on the wide variety of diverse peoples living in the eastern Mediterranean region, parts of modern-day Iraq, and even of north Africa, including the Egyptians, Assyrians, Hittites, and Philistines.

Read an interview with director Peter Der Manuelian for a full explanation of the name change.

Watch for the continuing transition to Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East in the museum’s online presence and public outreach.