Objects, Artifacts, and Relics

What's the difference

Many of my books feature treasure. In my genre, it is usually the underwater variety found on shipwrecks. In some cases, the ship is known. In others, part of the plot is trying to discover the provenance, which is defined as, a record of ownership of a work of art or an antique, used as a guide to authenticity or quality. I remember watching “The Deep” where Robert Shaw was obsessed with finding the mysterious wreck's provenance. That still sticks in my mind.

Photo by NEOM on Unsplash

I’m working on two books now, Wood’s Reward (which you can read for free here) and Storm Gods which have both varieties of treasure—something that is found accidentally, and a known relic.

Throw in the religious backstory of Storm Gods and I found myself needing to distinguish between types of finds.

An object is a general catchphrase that any find falls into. The ocean tends to absorb anything thrown at it (except plastic). It will have a slime coat within a few days of an object being lost. Once that forms marine growth is next. It is a long process, but eventually, it will become part of the reef.

An artifact is something made by man—or with skill. An old tool is a good example. Most treasure is considered artifacts. Coins, jewelry, and weapons can have great value, and often more so if a provenance can be attached.

A relic takes things a step further. Relics are objects or artifacts that can be tied to a particular person, though the term has been used to encompass anything religious. I like reading medieval historical fiction. Those guys rarely went into a battle without the priests leading the way carrying some bone or part of a Saint.

relic being brought to battle

A logical progression of classifying a find could start with it being called an object. Once it is cleaned up and can be identified, and shows that it was made with skill, it would be an artifact. Relating the artifact to a person makes it a relic.

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