MISSION Statement
Our Mission
Our Values
The museum houses the William G. Dever Sherd Collection of more than 300 pottery sherds from the Near East. This unique teaching collection is an invaluable instructional resource for archaeology students. The museum's laboratory facilities serve as a basis for teaching pottery typology, ceramic conservation, and artifact cataloguing and accession.
Research and Documentation
Each artifact is documented and catalogued in an electronic database that incorporates digital photographs of each artifact, accession numbers, descriptions, date, and provenance. The electronic database facilitates additional research in ceramic typology as well as regional socioeconomic variation and development.
The William G. Dever Near Eastern Collection, together with other collections, provides the basis for a contextual display vividly illustrated through original art designed to introduce artifacts in their ancient life setting. Exhibit highlights include an ancient brick from the city of Babylon stamped with the seal of Nebuchadnezzar; a complete lamp typology from the Early Bronze Age to the Roman period; a royal Judaean jar handle containing a royal lmlk ("for the king") seal impression; and a complete corpus of ceramic vessels from the heartland of biblical history.
Communitiy Education
The Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum offers free tours to all ages and groups. We also provide a Lecture Series on the history and archaeology of the ancient Near East, which hosts leading experts worldwide. The Lecture Series is designed to bring the latest archaeological discoveries from the southern Levant, Egypt, Cyprus, and Mesopotamia. The lectures are open to the public and are free of charge.
Why We Are Here
Museum attendance has dramatically increased over the last few decades. Every year,
three out of five Americans will visit a museum. People are looking for ways to experience
learning in an unforgettable way. The birth of the Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum
began with a vision to bring the biblical world to life dynamically through experiencing
the ancient Near East. Our goal is to continue the Seventh-day Adventist Church's
long tradition of archaeological research in the Middle East. It is vital to study
the biblical world firsthand. Through teaching, research, publication, exhibition,
conservation, and community education, we hope to make this an unforgettable experience
for our students, visitors, and the community.
What We Offer
The Lynn H. Wood Archaeological Museum is honored to be the home of the William G.
Dever Near Eastern Collection, which, together with other donations and acquisitions,
provides the basis for a stunning visual display of more than two hundred objects
from Egypt, Babylonia, Persia, Syria-Palestine, Greece, Cyprus, and Anatolia. Illustrated
through hundreds of photographs, drawings, and pieces of original art, the exhibit
is designed to introduce artifacts in their ancient life setting. Highlights of the
exhibit include an ancient Babylonian brick stamped with Nebuchadnezzar's name, a
complete series of lamps from the Chalcolithic to the early Arabic periods, handwritten
cuneiform tablets from the ancient Ur, and a series of Syrian toggle pins from the
Middle Bronze Age.
Join Us
Support the museum by becoming a museum docent or attending our free museum lectures.