provenience

Provenience is a term that refers to the origin or place of a thing, often used to describe where something comes from or how it first came to be. The word derives from Latin pro- (forth) and venire (to come), signaling an origin or source. In scholarly contexts, provenience is sometimes used interchangeably with provenance, but there are distinctions in many fields.

In archaeology and related disciplines, provenience specifically denotes the exact location where an artifact, ecofact, or feature was recovered. This includes horizontal coordinates within a site as well as the vertical position in the stratigraphic sequence (level, unit, depth) and the specific context (for example, a particular feature or assemblage). Accurate provenience data are essential for interpreting past activities, dating, paleoenvironmental conditions, and site formation processes.

Provenience is distinct from provenance. Provenance in museum and art contexts usually refers to the history of ownership and custody of an object, whereas provenience emphasizes the artifact’s original context and place within a site. In scientific and data-management settings, the term can also be used more broadly to indicate the source of information or materials, though this usage is common across disciplines.

Recording provenience relies on standardized field documentation, unit numbering, datum points, and detailed context sheets. Loss or disturbance of provenience—through gathering, looting, natural processes, or later construction—undermines interpretive value and limits the reliability of analyses.