Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 February 2011
The powdered contents of 17 Late Roman and Byzantine glass vessels used to hold cosmetic eye-paints (kohl) were analyzed. The principal analytical techniques employed were X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transform infrared spectrometry, X-ray fluorescence, and scanning electron microscopy. The materials detected are described, indicating those which may have been used as kohl. Also reported are analytical results from a solid chunk of material surrounding a fragment of a metal rod, also obtained from a kohl vessel.