Structure of the TerraLID metadata profile for lead isotope data in archaeology

The application of lead isotope ratios especially on non-ferrous artefacts evolved into the default method for the reconstruction of their raw material provenance. A pre-requisite for this method is the collection of data with known raw material provenance to which the artefact’s signature can be compared to. Unfortunately, the compilation and re-use of these data from literature is often hampered, among others, by the metadata’s large variety and different levels of detail. This does not only result in a time-consuming data compilation process but also limits, e.g., the implementation of machine learning approaches or large-scale meta studies.

The aim of TerraLID is to overcome the current state by developing a research data infrastructure through which lead isotope data can be published, stored, and accessed. It is complemented by a web application to work with such data, an online textbook which provides open educational materials on the topic, and a toolbox to facilitate re-use of the tools and templates developed for TerraLID. At the core of the data infrastructure is the TerraLID metadata profile to uniformly describe lead isotope data and contextual information. The TerraLID editors as community-representatives guided the development of this metadata profile and the entire community is currently invited to provide feedback on its draft. This contribution presents the structure of the metadata profile and how it connects to other metadata schemata and profiles.