Studies focusing on the history of collections generally emphasize what is estimable about them, but how should we make sense of collections that, once held in high regard, have subsequently been judged worthless? Such is the case for eoliths, stone objects resembling early artifacts, which held a pivotal position in arguments concerning the origins of human tool-making, but which are now largely considered nonartifactual. This article discusses the circumstances in which eolith collections were assembled, with reference to national and local museums in southeast England, but is mainly concerned with how and why, with the passing of the eolithic heyday, so many objects described as eoliths were lost, why others remain in museums, and what this tells us about curatorial practice.

中文翻译：

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本杰明哈里森的肯特时代：他们在博物馆收藏中的兴衰，以及这告诉我们他们生存的环境

专注于收藏历史的研究通常强调它们的可估量，但我们应该如何理解那些曾经受到高度重视，随后被认为毫无价值的收藏呢？eoliths 就是这种情况，这种石器类似于早期的人工制品，在有关人类工具制造起源的争论中占有关键地位，但现在在很大程度上被认为是非人工制品。本文讨论了收集 eolith 藏品的情况，并参考了英格兰东南部的国家和地方博物馆，但主要关注的是，随着 eolith 鼎盛时期的过去，如此多被描述为 eoliths 的物品是如何以及为什么丢失的，为什么其他人留在博物馆，这告诉我们关于策展实践的信息。