Provenance on the object, or an account of it in written materials from the same era, an object of study in archaeology or cultural anthropology may have an early provenance – a known history that predates modern research – then a provenience from its modern finding, and finally a continued provenance relating to its handling and storage or display after the modern acquisition. Evidence of provenance in the more general sense can be of importance in archaeology. Fakes are not unknown, and finds are sometimes removed from the context in which they were found without documentation, reducing their value to science.
International Convention Relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Oil Pollution Casualties 1969 entering into force in 1975. In 1973 the Protocol relating to Intervention on the High Seas in Cases of Marine Pollution by Substances other than Oil was adopted extending the provision of the 1969 Convention to other hazardous substances. The list of hazardous substances covered by Protocol was amended and extended in 1991, 1996 and 2002. As of October 2016, the convention has 89 state parties. The Convention applies to all seagoing vessels except warships or other vessels owned or operated by a State and used on Government non-commercial service. While exercising the right to take measures "necessary to