Documenting Your Collections
Info-Muse Network Documentation Guide

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Period (Dating)

Field to be used with an authority listField used for ethnology and history collectionsField used for fine and decorative arts collectionsField used for science and technology collectionsField used for archaeology collections (object data and site data)Société des musées québécois Info-Muse database field

Definition:

  • This field contains the historical or prehistorical period or the non-numeric chronological data associated with the object. It may also contain data identifying a century or part of a century.

Observations:

  1. Enter any chronological data that cannot be entered in the dating fields.
  2. This field is used in conjunction with the Culture field, if you use it to enter non-numeric chronological data.
    Example

    An Egyptian vase produced during the 18th Dynasty

      Object Namevase
      Culture Egyptian
    Period18th Dynasty
  3. This field may also contain data identifying a century or part of a century.
    Example

      Object Namebottle potsherd
      CultureCanadian
    Period 2nd half of the 18th century
  4. For better search results in your database, avoid using a large variety of terms; draw up an authority list and add keywords as necessary.

Entry rules:

  1. If you use this field to enter non-numeric chronological data, enter the keyword describing the period in which it was produced.
    Example

    A Chinese vase produced in the Neolithic period

      Object Namevase
      Culture Chinese
    Period Neolithic
  2. You may wish to enter the name of a period within a broader period. Enter the generic name followed by a comma, space and the specific name.
    Example

      Object Namegoblet
      Culture Greek
    Period Bronze Age, Mycenian
  3. For more precision concerning data identifying a century or part of a century, you may enter the information as follows:
    Examples

    Period 1st quarter of the 19th century
    Period 2nd quarter of the 19th century
    Period 3rd quarter of the 19th century
    Period 4th quarter of the 19th century
    Period 1st half of the 19th century
    Period 2nd half of the 19th century
  4. If you are unsure whether your information is correct, include a space and a question mark after the period name.
    Example

      Object Name statuette
      CultureChinese
    PeriodNeolithic ?
  5. This field may contain multiple entries separated by a semicolon followed by a space.
    Example

      Object Name piece of cloth
      CultureJapanese
    Period Edo; 17th century
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