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Every object has a story. It has an age; it is made of something; it has a meaning.
Collecting objects to tell a story is the central purpose of any museum. And the popularity of museums all around the world gives eloquent testimony to just how important objects are to people.
This is true for individuals for whom a particular object can be of such personal importance that it evokes the strongest memories and emotions; it is also true for groups of people for whom an object or collection of objects are fundamental to their place in the world. This group might be a nation or it might be related to religion or trade unionism or whatever means people found of acting together.
Essentially, to state the blindingly obvious, things mean an awful lot to people.
If you have any doubt about that, think about the Shroud of Turin, a piece of linen that for centuries was said to be the burial garment of Jesus Christ. It is more than 14ft in length and has markings that appear to show the eyes and crucifixion wounds of Jesus, including various stains of what is said to be blood. The shroud was first recorded in the 14th century (when it was in the hands of A French knight named Geoffroi de Charny) and since the 16th century it has been held in the cathedral of San Giovanni Battista in Turin.
Carbon-dating investigations organised by the Vatican actually date the shroud to the mid-13th century at the earliest, but – in the way of these things...