The find's properties rival those of modern cosmetics
Archaeologists say the 4,000-year-old bottle contains ancient red lipstick. A small stone bottle discovered in southeastern Iran contained a cosmetic product that was probably used to color lips thousands of years ago.
The rare find is “probably the earliest” sample of lipstick that was scientifically documented and analyzed, researchers reported in February in the journal Scientific Reports.
According to CNN, more than 80% of the sample analyzed consisted of minerals that give it its dark red color — primarily hematite. The mixture also contained manganite and brownite, which have dark shades, as well as traces of other minerals and waxy substances obtained from vegetables and other organic substances.
“Both the intensity of the red coloring minerals and waxy substances such as not surprisingly, they are fully compatible with the recipes of modern lipsticks,” noted the authors of the study.
According to the study's lead author Massimo Vidale, an archaeologist at the Department of Cultural Heritage of the University of Padua in Italy, it is impossible to rule out the possibility that the cosmetics were used in other ways, such as blush. But he said the uniform dark red color, the ingredients used and the shape of the bottle «led us to believe that the product was applied to the lips.»
It is one of the first studied examples of ancient red cosmetics, he said. color, although it was unclear why cosmetic preparations resembling lipstick were rare in the archaeological record.
“At this point we have no idea. The dark red color we found is the first we came across, while several lighter foundations and eyeshadows have been identified previously,” said Massimo Vidale.
According to Joanne Fletcher, a professor in the department of archeology at the University of York, the use of hematite — crushed red ocher — has been documented on stone cosmetic palettes from the late Neolithic era, as well as in ancient Egyptian cosmetic vessels. Whether a bottle from Iran was the earliest lipstick, «it all comes down to what this new discovery was actually used for,» she said.
“It's possible the bottle's contents were used as paint for lips. But they could also be applied to add color to the cheeks or for some other purpose, even if the bottle looks like a modern tube of lipstick,” notes Fletcher.
«It is very likely» that the artifact was a lipstick, agrees Laurence Totelin, professor of ancient history at Cardiff University's School of History, Archeology and Religion, who specializes in Greek and Roman science, technology and medicine.
“How The authors note that the recipe is no different from the modern one. The dark red color is what we would expect from a lip makeup look,” Totelin said. — However the ingredients are also regularly found in the preparation of ancient medicines, and the bottle has a shape that is not inconsistent with pharmaceutical use”.
Other products previously discovered in Egypt and the Middle East and studied by archaeologists included black eyeliner and lighter formulations used as eyeshadow or foundation, CNN highlights. Unlike other ancient cosmetics, the bottle contained low lead content. The researchers suggested that these low levels may mean that lipstick makers understood the dangers of consuming lead, a naturally occurring toxic metal that can cause numerous health problems.
“There has been a long and bitter debate among experts about the toxicity lead compounds in cosmetics,” says Massimo Vidale.
Earlier studies of artifacts from the same region that Vidale worked with “suggest that 5,000 years ago, white lead was the main material for face foundations, while our dark red preparation, presumably intended for lips, there was almost no lead. «It may have been a conscious choice,» he said.
The drug contained particles of quartz from ground sand or crystal, perhaps added, as the study suggested, as a «shimmering agent.» — although they may have been obtained from inside the bottle itself, which was skillfully made from a greenish stone called chlorite.
It is also unclear what the original consistency of the cosmetic was — liquid or more solid, admits Massimo Vidale .
“The bottle's thin shape and limited thickness suggest that it could be comfortably held in one hand along with the copper/bronze mirror handle, leaving the other hand free to use a brush or other type of applicator,”, the study authors write. citing an ancient Egyptian papyrus dating from the 12th century BC, which shows an example of a young woman painting her lips in this manner.
The artifact was among thousands of objects found in Bronze Age tombs in Iran's Jiroft region. The tombs — part of an ancient kingdom known as Marhasi — were discovered and moved in 2001 when a river flooded, after which their precious contents were looted and sold by local residents. Many stone and copper objects, including the vial, were subsequently recovered by Iranian security forces.
The vial is kept at the Jiroft National Archaeological Museum, where the team took samples.
“Like a bolt from the blue, this civilization was discovered when a catastrophic flood struck its ancient cemeteries, exposing all sorts of archaeological treasures,” Vidale said.
“The region is now well protected, but serious damage was done damage,” he added. “What we know today is that it was an advanced civilization similar to Mesopotamia, a major player in long-distance trade and military enterprises, which used its own writing system and was ruled by large cities and powerful, authoritative rulers. The rest is gradually becoming clear from new excavations.
It is unclear who may have used lipstick — or in what context. “As far as we know, cosmetics were regularly applied to the faces of the dead in graves of that time,” Vidale said.
However, given the looting and destruction of graves, researchers have been unable to link the artifact to specific human remains.
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