fragmentreste
Fragmentreste is a term used in archaeology, paleontology, and related disciplines to denote fragmentary remains of artifacts, organisms, or structures that have survived only as parts rather than as a complete whole. The term is derived from German, where fragmentreste literally means "fragment remains." In scholarly English, it may appear as a loanword to describe evidence that cannot be recovered in its entirety.
In archaeology, fragmentreste include ceramic sherds, bone and tooth fragments, lithic flakes, inscriptions, and architectural fragments.
In paleontology, fossil fragmentreste refer to partial skeletal elements, teeth, or isolated bones that preserve only
In art history and epigraphy, fragmentreste describe remains of statues, reliefs, or inscriptions that survive only
Common challenges include preservation bias toward durable materials, ambiguity about the original form, and the risk