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Abstract

During the Egyptian 18th dynasty (c. 1550–1292 BC), cobalt ore was mined, processed and used as a colourant for glass, faience and blue-painted pottery. Co-coloured glass objects have a mid- to dark blue colour and were produced in order to imitate the semi-precious stone lapis lazuli. During this period, the glass objects were manufactured predominantly at two sites: Malqata (25°42'51.2"N 32°35'33.4"E) and Amarna (27°38'40.3"N 30°53'55.0"E). Major, minor and trace element concentration data from 38 blue glass objects from Amarna in the collection of Egyptian Museum and Papyrus Collection in Berlin are reported in this data publication. For comparison, glass objects from the same period and location, but of different colours (one red, two each of colourless, green and turquoise-blue glass) were analysed with the same method. These objects were originally brought to Berlin subsequent to the 1911–1914 excavations at Amarna carried out under the direction of Ludwig Borchardt on behalf of the Deutsche Orient-Gesellschaft. Unfortunately, most of these have by now lost their specific finds location. In addition, two recent samples of cobalt ore from the region of Ain Asil, near the Dakhla oasis (25°30'59.6"N 29°09'59.8"E), were included in the analysis.