Integrating Life Histories into Provenance Research: Case Studies from the Yale Babylonian Collection

Provenance research focuses on determining the ownership history of one or a group of objects. However, secondary information found in evidence used to reconstruct life histories of past object owners can record important information about an object's history, such as associated stories about persecuted communities and groups in diaspora. How can life histories enrich our understanding of the provenance or one or a group of objects? How can records of provenance document the lives and stories of persecuted communities? What does this personal, historical and contextual information add to our understanding of the provenance of one or a group of objects?This article explores how genealogical and in-depth archival research is vital for thorough provenance research. It shows how such research can reveal antiquities collectors, vendors, and donors' personal stories of survival and migration. By exploring three case studies of individuals from persecuted communities discovered during provenance research for the Yale Babylonian Collection – Esa Kazazian, Fanaollah Sobhani, and Elias Isaac Solomon David – this article illustrates the necessity for a refocusing of scholarship to consistently investigate and document these often-overlooked stories. In doing so, the article highlights the distinctly human element of provenance research.