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Definition 2024
provenience
provenience
English
Examples (source; origin) |
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A Roman coin might have been minted in Germany, stored in the Vatican vaults, sunk in a shipwreck in 505AD, recovered by archaeologists at a specific off-shore location, stolen and then recovered and eventually put on display at a particular museum. |
Noun
provenience (plural proveniences)
- (archaeology) Source; origin.
Usage notes
- The term provenience in archaeology/archeology has largely replaced provenance because provenience is restricted to in situ location at the date of archaeological discovery rather than the "origin-to-present" chain of custody details of proper provenance as is customarily used by historians, museums, and commercial entities.