The Prewitt-Allen Archeological Museum is a small archaeology museum at Corban University in Salem, Oregon, United States. Founded in the 1950s, the museum is located in the school’s library on the rural campus. Artifacts and replicas come mainly from the Eastern Mediterranean and include replicas of the Rosetta Stone and the Code of Hammurabi, alongside a collection of ancient oil lamps and an internationally known papyrus palimpsest. The free museum has over 900 items in its collections.HistoryRobert Allen began a push for a museum in 1953 at what was then Western Baptist Bible College when the school located in California. He thought the artifacts could assist in his classroom teachings. That same year he bought a fragment of papyrus from the 5th century A.D., which is now known as the Allen Papyrus. In 1964, Allen began a seven year tour around the world including stops in 39 countries from the Middle East to Europe. During this journey he collected artifacts for the museum, returning to the college in May 1971.Originally the museum was named the Robert S. Allen Archaeology Museum. The museum loaned out the Allen Papyrus to the California Institute of Technology in 1975 for research using the software used to reduce static on pictures coming from the Mariner probes sent to Mars and other planets. The research was to study how to better view the writings that had been erased from the original papyrus when it was reused by later scribes. The collection at the museum grew to around 600 pieces by 1998. Adrian Jeffers took over as curator that same year. In March 2008, the museum acquired a full-scale replica of King Tut’s mask. In late 2008, a mid-19th century Torah scroll valued at $90,000 was donated to the museum. The tanned leather scroll stands tall and came from what is now Iraq. The museum’s collection had grown to more than 900 pieces in 2009.
