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History vocabulary · Archaeology Basics

Provenience

Meaning in history, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In history, provenience means: The recorded location of an archaeological find within a site, including its spatial and contextual position.

In Turkish: buluntunun kesin buluntu yeri

How it is used

Often distinguished from provenance, the history of origin or custody; conventions vary, so define the intended sense.

Example sentences

  1. The label preserves the coin's provenience within the floor deposit.

    The location links an object to evidence about its deposition.

  2. Without provenience, the beads could not securely date the room.

    An object loses interpretive value when its archaeological position is unknown.

Common collocations

  • record provenience
  • provenience information
  • provenanceThe origin of a document or object and the record of who has owned or kept it since it was made, used to judge whether it is genuine and lawfully held.
  • excavationThe careful digging and recording of an archaeological site to uncover buildings, objects and other remains in the order in which they were buried.

More terms: Archaeology Basics

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