Provenance
Definition
In ceramic petrology, the geographic area from which the raw materials (clay and temper) were sourced; distinct from production place (where the object was made) if clay was traded, though the two usually coincide for bulk ceramics such as brick and plain pottery.
- Key forensic uses
- Plant material, pollen, sediment, soil, ceramics, and geological minerals
- Primary analysis method
- Matching sample assemblages to reference data from known geographic locations or characteristic habitats
- Related concept in geology
- Heavy-mineral suites reflect the source rock type and are used to trace sediment to its original geological source area
Common questions
What does provenance mean in forensics?+
Provenance is the geographic origin or source of a piece of evidence. Forensic experts use it to trace where a plant sample, soil, ceramic, or other material came from. This can link evidence to a person, suspect, or location of interest.
How is provenance determined from botanical evidence?+
Plant material like pollen carries a signature of its habitat and origin. Experts compare the plant assemblage found on a suspect or at a scene to reference samples from known locations. A match suggests where the material came from.
Is provenance the same as where something was made?+
No. In ceramics and pottery, provenance refers to where the raw materials were sourced, while the production place is where the object was actually made. These often coincide, but they can differ if clay was traded before manufacture.
Related terms
- ATi index
- Apatite to Tourmaline index: [apatite/(apatite + tourmaline)] x 100. Low values indicate advanced weathering or sediment recycling because apatite is dissolved by...
- Bromoform (CHBr3)
- Tribromomethane, density 2.89 g/cm3, historically the standard heavy-separation liquid. Now largely displaced by sodium polytungstate because of its toxicity and regulatory requirements,...
- Ceramic fabric
- The combination of clay matrix and included particles (temper, natural inclusions, and voids) that makes up a fired ceramic; the raw material...
- Convergent evidence
- Two or more independent lines of evidence that point to the same conclusion. Each line alone may be inconclusive; together they substantially...
- Dehydroxylation
- The loss of structural hydroxyl groups from clay minerals (principally kaolinite) between about 450 and 600 °C during firing; an irreversible reaction...
- Dendrochronology
- The science of dating by tree-ring sequences. Each annual ring encodes the growing conditions of that year; matching ring patterns to a...
- Evidential ambiguity
- The condition in which a finding is consistent with more than one explanation. Proper reporting quantifies the range of possible interpretations rather...
- Forensic botany
- The application of plant science, including morphology, anatomy, palynology, and molecular biology, to criminal and civil legal proceedings.
- Grave-fill inversion
- The mixing or reversal of pollen stratigraphy caused by digging and backfilling a clandestine grave. Older, deeper pollen types brought to the...
- Grog
- Crushed fragments of previously fired ceramic mixed into new clay as temper; recognisable in thin section by their fired-clay texture, which differs...
- Heavy minerals
- Minerals with density greater than 2.85 g/cm3, separated from a soil or sediment by a heavy liquid. They typically form 0.1-5% of...
- Locard exchange principle
- The forensic principle that contact between two surfaces transfers material in both directions. Plant material, pollen, seeds, and leaf fragments all transfer...
Explained in these topics
- Scope and History of Forensic BotanyThe geographic origin or source of a piece of evidence. A central goal of much forensic botanical analysis is assigning provenance to plant material recovered...
- Pollen as Trace and Provenance EvidenceThe geographic or habitat origin of a sample, inferred by comparing its pollen assemblage to reference data from known locations.
- Integrating Botanical Evidence in CaseworkThe geographic or environmental origin of a person, object, or material. In botanical forensics, provenance is established by matching assemblages of plant ind...
- Density-Gradient Separation and Heavy-Mineral AnalysisThe original geological source area of a sediment or soil. Heavy-mineral suites are one of the primary tools for provenance analysis in both academic sedimento...
- Brick, Ceramic, and Ceramic PetrologyIn ceramic petrology, the geographic area from which the raw materials (clay and temper) were sourced; distinct from production place (where the object was mad...