Retrospective and Prospective for Scientific Provenance Studies in Archaeology

This Element shifts focus from object origin to human selectivity and resource availability.

This Element reviews the golden age of provenance studies in archaeology, shows the complexity of materials and human behavior, and is reliable for lithics and obsidian but complex for ceramics and metals. It suggests focusing on human selectivity and processing, and the wider resources available, rather than simply focusing on the object's origin.Provenance has been one of the major scientific applications in archaeology for a hundred years. The 'Golden Age' began in the 1950s, when large programmes were initiated focussing on bronzes, ceramics, and lithics. However, these had varying impact, ranging from wide acceptance to outright rejection. This Element reviews some of these programmes, mainly in Eurasia and North America, focussing on how the complexity of the material, and the effects of human behaviour, can impact on such studies. The conclusion is that provenance studies of lithic materials and obsidian are likely to be reliable, but those on ceramics and metals are increasingly complicated, especially in the light of mixing and recycling. An alternative is suggested, which focusses more on using scientific studies to understand the relationship between human selectivity and processing and the wider resources available, rather than on the simple question of 'where does this object come from'.