"virtual tour" of the museum's galleries, allowing visitors to view many artifacts in detail, even as the physical museum was temporarily closed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Functions Exhibition and education The museum (through the collaborative efforts of departmental faculty, curators, museum curatorial staff, and students) mounts exhibits, often in conjunction with university courses, which serve the university community and also attract the general public. The museum has an active public outreach program featuring tours for school groups and teacher training workshops. The museum also sponsors, either alone or in conjunction with other institutions, a number of public lectures each year. Through these educational efforts, the museum seeks to promote a wider understanding of the civilizations of the Near East and their great cultural legacies. Teaching with the collection The museum encourages Harvard University students and faculty to make use of the museum collections and facilities. Objects can be used for coursework, viewing assignments, research papers, senior theses, dissertations, and teaching displays. The basement seminar room is available for sections scheduled to view the collection. Research and publication The museum sponsors archaeological field research into the complex societies of the Near East, with special emphasis on those ancient cultures related to the world of the Bible. Each year more than 100 staff, students, and volunteers participate in the Ashkelon Excavations (The Leon Levy Expedition), led by Honorary Museum Director Lawrence E. Stager, Dr. Daniel M. Master, and Dr. Adam Aja. The museum, through its Harvard Semitic Series and Harvard Semitic Monographs, publishes archaeological, historical, philological, and cultural studies of the Near East, many of which present the research of the department faculty and their students. External links Semitic Museum official site Department of Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations at Harvard References Harvard University museums Archaeological museums in Massachusetts Egyptological collections in the United States Museums of Ancient Near East in the United States Museums in Cambridge, Massachusetts Plaster cast collections Semitic studies University museums in Massachusetts Museums established in 1889 1889 establishments in Massachusetts Buildings and structures completed in 1902 Georgian Revival architecture in Massachusetts