Penn Museum's Collection of Ancient Tweezers

The University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology (or for short, the Penn Museum) has an impressive collection of more than 42,000 Egyptian artifacts. While the museum is more notable for its 13-ton Sphinx of Ramses II and its 463 mummified specimens, it also houses an impressive collection of everyday Ancient Egyptian objects, including 52 pairs of tweezers.

The tweezers range in material from iron to copper, and in age from the Twelfth Dynasty (around 1900 BC) to the Roman Era. Most of the objects are intact, but are presumably not fit for hair plucking or atomic manipulation.

The tweezers are part of the museum’s collection of everyday objects. Not all items in this collection are available to view in-person. The museum has 48 combs, 77 sandals, 33 plates, 58 food remains, 81 pins, 28 balls, and 1,241 bowls. Only four of the pairs of tweezers are actually out on display.

While these objects may not be as mind-blowing as a mummy or a Sphinx, they hold a greater historical value as they are indicative of how Ancient Egyptians lived. You’ll find them on display in a dark, undervisited anteroom with a copy of the Rosetta Stone and a cat mummy.