Meaning of unprovenienced | Babel Free

Definitions

Not having provenience: not having complete and fully ascertained information about origin, not even knowledge of the site in which an artifact was first found by archaeology (let alone any other aspect of its history).

especially, not-comparable

Examples

“Near-synonym: unprovenanced”

“There are many problems associated with artifacts and objects that lack a secure archaeological context. As Biblical Archaeology Review readers know, we typically describe such objects as “unprovenanced” (or, more accurately, unprovenienced). Since they were not found through controlled scientific excavation and often enter collections through the antiquities market, unprovenanced objects present serious practical, ethical, and even legal issues that scholars must consider when discussing them.”

““Unprovenienced” is to be differentiated from “unprovenanced,” which refers to artifacts whose ownership history is unknown.”

CEFR level