ABSTRACT
While provenance research has been a major topic in the context of works of art looted during the national-socialist era in Germany (1933–45), systematic and comprehensive inquiries into the provenance of archaeological objects in public collections are long overdue, and form a rather embarrassing lacuna in the research profile of the pertinent museums. Given the fact that many of these collections came into being during a time when colonial asymmetries characterized the relationship between source and target states, provenance research in archaeological museums is a must in a world that strives for absolute equality and transparency in intergovernmental relations. However, apart from considerations focusing on foreign and cultural policy, there are also arguments from the point of view of recent cultural theory that favour provenance research in archaeological museums. The present article discusses these arguments and outlines a political and institutional agenda for archaeological provenance research.
