The CHIPS Database: A Repository for Reference Data on Chemical Analysis in Archaeometallurgy of Iron

This preprint presents the core concepts of the CHIPS database, the project of a global repository of reference chemical data related to the archaeometallurgy of iron.

Archaeometallurgists interested in iron do not currently have access to extensive chemical reference data repositories. Yet chemical data is of crucial importance both for reconstructing ancient technical systems and economic structures, by determining the operating conditions and the exchange networks. We are seeking to meet this need with the CHIPS database, developed on PostgreSQL. The goal is to provide the scientific community with global reference data in a standardised format. Chemical data can be selected using spatial, chronological or typological queries, thanks to the documentation of archaeological contexts and samples. Particular care has been taken to assess the quality of the chemical data, based on analytical metadata (types of analysis and technical characteristics of the analysers). In order to guarantee the interoperability of the database, the main tables are referenced by libraries, gazetteers and thesauri that are considered as standards by the archaeological community. The data can currently be consulted using a cartographic interface, and the development of a more advanced interface is envisaged, based on the implementation of graphic display tools for chemical data.