relic
Enable an agent to recognise a physical relic, assess the evidence and significance attached to it, and determine appropriate handling, access and care.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
recalled by Codex without web access - no source was read
Researched by: Codex
Purpose and description
Enable an agent to recognise a physical relic, assess the evidence and significance attached to it, and determine appropriate handling, access and care.
A relic is a surviving bodily remain or material object preserved or valued for its association with a sacred person, event, or place, or with a person or period of historical significance.
It can be Identify the physical relic separately from its container, label and attributed history.; Compare association claims with documentary, contextual and material evidence while preserving disagreements.; Trace custody, division and transfer to locate gaps in the identity of the present object.; Assess whether inspection, imaging, sampling, display or devotional contact is authorised.; Plan preservation around the relic's material condition and restrictions on opening, cleaning or separation.; Refer contested custody, treatment or return decisions to the relevant custodians and affected communities..
Distinguishing features
A physical referent must be identified; calling an institution or custom a relic falls outside this PHY model.
An attributed connection to a particular person, event, period or sacred context must explain recognition as a relic; age alone does not establish that status.
A religious image depicts a subject, whereas relic recognition depends on an attributed material, contact or historical connection; an object may satisfy both descriptions.
A reliquary contains or presents a relic and must be distinguished from its contents unless it independently has relic status.
A replica reproduces an object's form; any claim that it is itself a relic requires a separate basis of recognition.
Scope
+ The physical remains, object or fragment identified as the relic
+ Its attributed connection to a person, event, period, place or sacred context
+ Evidence supporting or contesting identification and continuity
+ Relic-specific recognition, uses and restrictions
+ Condition, containment and custody affecting survival and treatment
- Biographies of associated people and complete accounts of associated events
- Religious doctrines and institutions beyond their implications for this relic
- Reliquaries, shrines and display cases as independently modelled objects
- Archaeological sites and assemblages beyond the relic's relationships to them
- Replicas, images and souvenirs without independently attributed relic status
- Metaphorical relics such as obsolete practices or institutions
Characteristics
- Relic sense
- religious; secular-historical; overlapping; unresolved Identifies which grounds of significance and treatment need investigation without assuming a single religious tradition.
- Physical referent
- human remains; nonhuman biological remains; manufactured object; material fragment; composite; unresolved Determines what physically constitutes the relic and which care or ethical requirements may apply.
- Attributed association
- linked person, event, period, place or sacred context, with the claimed relationship and its claimant Records the connection that makes this object intelligible as a relic.
- Basis of relic recognition
- bodily remains; ownership or use; contact; survival from an event or period; other explicitly documented basis; unresolved Distinguishes different claims without imposing a universal hierarchy of relic classes.
- Recognition community
- communities, custodians or authorities recognising, rejecting or disputing relic status Prevents one party's recognition from being presented as universal agreement.
- Association evidence status
- unassessed; supported; partly supported; disputed; contradicted; indeterminate, evaluated separately for each claim Keeps confidence in historical association separate from religious or commemorative significance.
- Material extent
- dimensions in mm, mass in g and fragment count where appropriate and permitted Supports identification, fragment tracking and detection of loss without requiring intrusive examination.
- Physical continuity
- apparently intact; divided; sampled; mixed; reconstructed; uncertain, with supporting observations Reveals whether today's referent corresponds to the historically described whole or fragment.
- Containment relationship
- reliquary, wrapping, seal or mount, with whether separation is permitted Containment can preserve evidence, prevent inspection or participate in recognised significance.
- Authorised treatment
- permitted, conditional, prohibited or unresolved for each proposed action, with authority and date Connects examination, display, movement and intervention to applicable permissions.
Also called
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 6 bundles · 11 layers · 16 findings · 27 questions.
Relic identity and boundaries Establishes what physical thing is recognised as the relic and which sense of relic applies.
A relic can be confused with its reliquary, a representation, a fragment of another relic or merely an old object.
Physical referent
Locates the material entity to which relic claims attach.
Relic content boundary
Record whether relic identity belongs to remains, an object, a fragment or a composite, distinguishing associated packaging.
- Exactly which remains, object or fragments constitute this relic? definition
- Are the wrapping, mount, reliquary and labels part of the recognised relic or separately associated objects? boundary
Recognition basis
Identifies the relationship through which the physical referent is treated as a relic.
Association that confers status
Describe the claimed connection and its religious, historical or overlapping interpretation without treating that interpretation as proof.
- Which attributed connection makes this thing a relic rather than simply an antique, specimen or commemorative object? definition
- Who identifies it as a relic, and what terminology or classification do they use? provenance
Association and authentication Separates inherited attribution from evidence about origin and identity.
A relic's significance can persist despite uncertainty about its attribution, so evidence and recognition require distinct treatment.
Attribution record
Tracks the emergence and transmission of claims about the relic.
Earliest attested association
Identify the earliest accessible evidence for the claimed association and distinguish independent testimony from repetition.
- What is the earliest accessible record connecting this physical relic to its attributed person, event or sacred context? provenance
- Which later accounts provide independent evidence, and which repeat an earlier attribution? provenance
Claim evaluation
Assesses the limits of documentary and material evidence.
Evidence and its limits
Evaluate specific association claims without equating a compatible date or material with proof of personal identity or sacred significance.
- Which claims are supported, contradicted or left unresolved by the documents and examinations actually available? provenance
- What dating, composition or identification results exist, with what uncertainty and limits on what they establish? measurement
- Do labels, seals or authentication documents identify this exact item, and has their connection to it been verified? provenance
Material continuity and preservation Tracks physical survival, fragmentation and care where material identity carries significance.
Division, replacement, treatment or loss can alter both the evidence for a relic and the physical referent people recognise.
Fragment and whole continuity
Relates the present material to earlier descriptions and any distributed portions.
Division and material change
Record divisions, removals, additions and mixtures that affect continuity with the attributed original.
- Has the relic been divided, sampled, mixed with other material or reconstructed, and what records identify the affected portions? provenance
- Which parent relic, detached fragments or sibling portions are linked to this item, and how secure are those links? boundary
Preservation with restrictions
Connects observed deterioration to care options compatible with the relic's treatment requirements.
Condition and intervention
Assess the relic and its immediate enclosure while recording limits imposed by seals, sacred treatment or the presence of remains.
- What deterioration or material loss is observable, and what remains inaccessible because the enclosure cannot be opened? measurement
- Which conservation actions would remove significant residues, break seals, separate remains or otherwise require specific authorisation? action
Significance and encounter Records how communities understand the relic and which forms of encounter are appropriate.
Relic status affects behaviour toward an object in ways that material description and historical authentication alone cannot determine.
Community interpretations
Preserves distinct accounts of sacred, ancestral, historical or commemorative meaning.
Attributed significance
Attribute meanings and claimed effects to their speakers rather than presenting them as universally accepted properties.
- Which communities regard this relic as sacred, ancestral, commemorative or historically significant, and why? definition
- Where do those communities disagree about its identity, significance or appropriate treatment? boundary
Access and use
Defines permitted devotional, commemorative, interpretive and research encounters.
Encounter protocols
Record action-specific conditions for viewing, touching, photographing, moving or examining the relic.
- Under what conditions may people view, touch, photograph or ceremonially use this relic? action
- Who can authorise research access or exceptions, and which restrictions depend on occasion, participant or location? action
Custody and contested disposition Connects possession history with present authority over movement, treatment and future disposition.
Relics may involve distinct custodial, ownership, religious and descendant interests that possession alone does not resolve.
Custody history
Traces movements and transfers that bear on continuity and present claims.
Transfer and identity chain
Record documented custody transitions and gaps, including circumstances that could have enabled substitution or misidentification.
- Which documented transfers connect the earliest identified relic to the object held today? provenance
- Where do gaps, conflicting inventories, changed containers or missing seals leave continuity uncertain? provenance
Authority and disposition
Identifies whose decisions and claims govern proposed relocation or changes in custody.
Decision authority and claims
Distinguish physical custody, claimed ownership, religious authority and affected-community interests for each proposed action.
- Who holds the relic, who claims authority over it, and what evidence supports each role? provenance
- What unresolved claims or applicable requirements affect loan, transfer, sale, return, burial or reinterment? action
Evidence and external alignment What the world already says about this thing, gathered so the model can be checked against it.
A model that cannot be lined up against existing standards, identifiers and practice cannot be adopted by anyone who already uses them.
Reported evidence
Findings from the breadth pass, kept separate from the structural claims.
Check these first
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- No sense is recorded: this description includes religious relics and secular historical survivals, while excluding figurative uses.
- Relic classifications and rules are tradition-specific; Christian classification terms should not be treated as universal.
- An object's recognized devotional status does not by itself establish the historical authenticity of its attributed origin.
- Which of these check these first hold for the sense of relic this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Kinds and varieties
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Bodily relics, such as bones or hair
- Objects used or owned by a revered person
- Contact relics, valued for having touched a sacred person or another relic
- Historical relics preserved as tangible survivals of the past
- Which of these kinds and varieties hold for the sense of relic this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Real-world use
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Religious veneration and pilgrimage
- Ritual observance and commemoration
- Museum exhibition and historical interpretation
- Research into material culture, provenance, and religious practice
- Which of these real-world use hold for the sense of relic this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Failure modes and hazards
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- False attribution, forgery, or loss of provenance
- Deterioration of organic remains, textiles, or other vulnerable materials
- Damage through handling, display, transport, or unsuitable storage
- Theft, illicit trade, or separation from associated documentation
- Culturally inappropriate treatment or display, especially of human remains
- Which of these failure modes and hazards hold for the sense of relic this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Regional variation
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- Christian traditions differ in their acceptance, classification, and treatment of relics.
- Buddhist traditions preserve bodily relics and associated objects, often within stupas or other sacred repositories.
- Secular usage also applies the term to surviving historical objects without implying sacred status.
- Which of these regional variation hold for the sense of relic this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
Neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart
Recalled without web access and unsourced; every item is a lead to verify.
- reliquary - A reliquary contains or displays a relic; it is not the relic itself, although it may independently acquire historical or sacred significance.
- artifact - An artifact is made or modified by people; a relic is distinguished by its valued association or survival, and can include unmodified bodily remains.
- antique - An antique is valued or classified principally through age and collectibility; relic status depends on association or significance rather than a fixed age threshold.
- souvenir - A souvenir serves as a reminder of an experience, person, or place; it need not be an actual surviving remain or associated historical object.
- human remains - Human remains are bodily material from deceased people; only some are treated as relics through religious or commemorative significance.
- Which of these neighbouring kinds and how to tell them apart hold for the sense of relic this model covers, and on what evidence? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Does the registry intend relic to include secular historical survivals, or specifically religious relics?
- Which existing Vercy models cover human remains, artefacts, sacred objects or heritage objects, and where should this entry link to them?
- Which tradition-specific classifications are needed, and how can they be represented without implying equivalence across traditions?
- When a relic is divided or material is transferred through contact, what criteria do relevant communities use to recognise continuity or a distinct relic?
- Which authoritative sources establish the applicable care, access and disposition requirements for particular relic materials, communities and jurisdictions?