A Bronze Age lip-paint from southeastern Iran
![]() 36872 Tuesday, 06 February, 2024, 20:24 A small chlorite vial, discovered among numerous artifacts looted and recovered in the Jiroft region of Kerman province, southeastern Iran, contains a deep red cosmetic preparation that is likely a lip-coloring paint or paste. Through analytical research involving XRD (X-ray diffraction), SEM-EDS (scanning electron microscopy-energy-dispersive spectroscopy), and HPLC-MS (high-performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry) analyses, the mineral components of the reddish substance were identified as hematite, darkened with manganite and braunite, and traces of galena and anglesite, mixed with vegetal waxes and other organic substances. The mixture, thus observed, bears a striking resemblance to the recipes of contemporary lipsticks. We also report the first radiocarbon date ever obtained from a Bronze age cosmetic in the ancient Near East: results place the pigment in the early 2nd millennium BCE, a date compatible with several mentions of the powerful eastern-iranian civilization of Marḫaši in coeval cuneiform texts of Mesopotamia, as well as with its currently emerging archaeological picture. ![]() |
Türkiye to build spaceport in Somalia for rocket, missile tests
121905.08.2025, 18:17A woman in India has been diagnosed with a unique blood type
216230.07.2025, 14:21Global media forum with Aliyev's participation to be held in occupied Stepanakert
358919.07.2025, 17:30SpaceX Starship rocket explodes during test flight (video)
594219.06.2025, 12:34Elon Musk announces XChat feature
666602.06.2025, 13:04The world's lowest car has been created in Taiwan (video)
818526.05.2025, 11:40Tesla Robot Optimus Learns to Dance (video)
845613.05.2025, 10:21A possible sign of life on K2-18b? Here’s what it means- and why it's just the beginning (video)
1206021.04.2025, 01:16