Work

THE KENTISH EOLITHS OF BENJAMIN HARRISON : Their Rise and Fall in Museum Collections and What This Tells Us about the Circumstances of Their Survival

Year: 2022

Type: article

Abstract: Studies focusing on the history of collections generally emphasize what is estimable about them, but how should we make sense of collections that, once held in high regard, have subsequently been judged worthless? Such is the case for eoliths, stone objects resembling early artifacts, which held a pivotal position in arguments concerning the origins of human tool‐making, but which are now largely considered nonartifactual. This article discusses the circumstances in which eolith collections were assembled, with reference to national and local museums in southeast England, but is mainly concerned with how and why, with the passing of the eolithic heyday, so many objects described as eoliths were lost, why others remain in museums, and what this tells us about curatorial practice.

Source: Museum Anthropology

DOI: 10.1111/muan.12257

Authors: Roy Ellen, Angela Muthana

Institution: University of Kent

Language: English

Topic: History of Science and Natural History

Subfield: History and Philosophy of Science

Field: Arts and Humanities

Domain: Social Sciences

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,000

Funders: University of Pittsburgh, British Academy, University of Oxford