GlobaLID – Global Lead Isotope Database

This dataset is a continuously growing collection of lead isotope reference data. Lead isotopes are an established method to reconstruct the raw material provenance of archaeological objects. They are typically applied to artefacts made of copper, lead, silver, and their alloys. However, also the raw material provenance of other materials such as glass, pigments and pottery was already reconstructed with lead isotopes. To successfully reconstruct the origin of the raw material, lead isotope signatures from as many as possible suitable raw material occurrences must be known. In the past, large-scaled research projects were carried out to characterise ore deposits especially in the Mediterranean area and Western Europe. However, many of these data are dispersed in the literature and were published in scientific articles or monographies. Consequently, each researcher or at least each research group had to build their own up-to-date data base of reference data from the literature.

To overcome these restrictions, to facilitate work with lead isotope reference data and particularly to make the data FAIR, i.e. findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (Wilkinson et al., 2016), these published data are compiled and transferred into a uniform layout. They are further enhanced with additional metadata to facilitate their use in raw material provenance studies. Currently, the database is restricted to ores and minerals as these are the most relevant materials for provenance studies of ancient metals. Future updates will include hitherto uncovered regions but also additional data from countries already present. Slag and other metallurgical (by-) products from ancient sites in close vicinity to ore deposits generally are a genuine representation of the ores utilised in historic times. As such, they are highly relevant for provenance studies and an extension to these materials is therefore planned. GlobaLID is a representation of the collective work of researchers on Pb isotope studies. As such, the database is seen as a community engagement project that invites scientists all over the world to become active contributors of GlobaLID. The initiators of the database dedicate their effort to the continuation and maintenance of the database but only the support of the whole community will allow a rapid and successful growth of GlobaLID.