Department of English

• Monday, September 8, 2025 - 5:15pm to 7:15pm

Class of 1978 Pavilion, sixth floor of Van Pelt-Dietrich Library

We are thrilled to welcome Anne Tiballi (University of Pennsylvania), for a talk titled “Text, Language, Object: The Utility of Textual Thinking in the Study of Archaeological Materials.”

Dr. Tiballi writes:

"This paper will use the incredibly rich textile record of the Andes, from the earliest archaeological deposits to the present day, to explore the complicated relationships between objects and texts in cultures without writing. Together, we will explore how woven textiles incorporate symbolic and structural messages that enabled them to be ‘read’ by knowledgeable viewers, acting as a surprisingly communicative medium. At the same time, we will explore the ways in which the materiality of objects defies textual reading and collapses the gulf between sign and signified."

Anne Tiballi is the Director of Academic Engagement at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology, and has also served as Head of Research, Teaching and Collections at the History of Science Museum, University of Oxford. Anne is an Andean archaeologist interested in human interactions with technology, craft production and identity, and textile analysis. In her current role at the Penn Museum, she works collaboratively with museum staff and university faculty to devise novel and effective ways to incorporate the Museum’s collections into the curriculum.