A Chlorite Container Found on the Surface of Shahdad (Kerman, Iran) and its Cosmetic Content

AbstractAnalysis of a stone flagon found on the surface of the early urban site of Shahdad (Kerman, Iran) has shown that the vessel contained a lead-based cosmetic. Other finds recovered from the same surface context suggest a dating within the second half of the fourth millennium BC or slightly later. X-Ray Diffraction (XRD), Scanning Electron Microscopy equipped with an Energy Dispersive Spectrometer, Thermogravimetric Analysis (TGA), Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FTIR) and Gas Chromatography with Mass Spectrometry (GC-MS) have been used to reconstruct the manufacturing techniques of the cosmetic. The substance was likely made of artificial lead carbonates. As our find and recent studies confirm that wet chemical processing of lead was common in the third millennium BC, the social implications of cosmetology in the early cities of the Near East and Middle Asia of the fourth-third millennia BC are briefly addressed.