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 investigated using 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 monographs. Consequently, each researcher or at least each research group had to build their own up-to-date database 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.

The most recent version of the database can be accessed on its GitHub repository (https://github.com/archmetalDBM/GlobaLID-database). They are regularly released as new versions and stored in this data publication. The most recent version of the database is also available through the GlobaLID web application (https://globalid.dmt-lb.de/). The web application does not only allow to access the data but aims to integrate all common tasks in the workflow of the lead isotope provenance method. For these reasons, users can temporarily upload their data to compare them to the database (the file is automatically deleted from the server when the application is closed). Data from the database and uploaded by the user are shown on a map, for which different base maps are available. Furthermore, the user can select from a variety of different options (1D, 2D, 3D) for graphical representation of the data, including scatterplots, histograms or kernel density estimates. The appearance of the plots can be customised (e.g., colours and point size) but a common set of standards was set to guarantee an unbiased representation of the chosen data (e.g., no manipulation of the axis limits). The plots as well as selected portions of the database can be downloaded in different file formats. Size and resolution of the plots can be adjusted to generate publication-ready plots. A reference list of the selected data is automatically included in the download to allow proper citation. A list with the set filters also will be added to the download by default. Together with the file uploaded by the user this list allows the replication of the created plots. No user account or log-in is necessary to access the web application. Only the page for the contributors to upload new or revised data is password protected to avoid spam.