In and Out of Context

How do objects shape, and become shaped by the social and cultural words they inhabit? This volume explores the dynamic lives of objects from prehistory to modernity, as they move through time, space, and systems of value and meaning. Case studies from Greco-Roman antiquity to northern Europe, and the Indus Valley, present diverse archaeological, art-historical, museological, and heritage perspectives into the ever-progressing lives of artefacts, monuments, and museum collections. The authors examine provenance, collections histories, shifting meanings of artefacts in post-colonial settings, and the role of museums in shaping narratives. Framed within the theoretical discourse of object biography, contributions reveal how the entanglements of things are in a constant state of motion, and how contexts of use, circulation, and analysis are socially and politically defined. This is a rich resource for anyone interested in the complex lives of things and the interplay between people, artefacts, and the institutions that house and study them.