The Department of Anthropology at the University of Pennsylvania is housed in the University Museum , and almost all members of the department have curatorial appointments in the Museum. The Museum Director is a professor in the Department of Anthropology, and some anthropology faculty members have the Museum as their appointment base. The Graduate Group in Anthropology draws members from disciplines and departments throughout the University.
Medieval archaeology is seen as part of history.
Although study and teaching are supported at the B.A. level, the emphasis is placed on teaching and research at the M.A., M.S., Ph.D., and post-doctoral levels. The University Museum Library supports research, study, and teaching in the fields of anthropology and archaeology. It also collects selectively material in other disciplines such as folklore, linguistics, museology, museum conservation, and ethnographic art. Special strengths are in Egyptology, Maya studies and Mesoamerican archaeology, classical archaeology, and the ancient Near East. The Brinton Collection is a special collection of pre-1890 materials relating in large part to Mesoamerican and other indigenous American languages and linguistics.