Practice question · Multiple choice
What is provenance, and why does it matter so much?
Hints
- Its power is mostly negative.
- What can you say about an object that surfaced on the market with no history?
Show the answer
A. The documented chain of custody of the source
Why
No provenance, no authentication, and for an object, no archaeological context, which is where most of its testimony lived. This is why the antiquities market destroys evidence while preserving objects: a looted vase is a beautiful thing stripped of everything it could have told you.
Practise Primary vs Secondary Sources
The app has 3 more questions on this lesson, and keeps your place in the course. History I is free to start.
More questions on Primary vs Secondary Sources
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