Altaweel, Mark;
Howland, Matthew D;
Tauxe, Lisa;
Gordin, Shai;
Cyc, Brendan;
Ben-Yosef, Erez;
(2023)
Exploring geomagnetic variations in ancient
mesopotamia: Archaeomagnetic study of
inscribed bricks from the 3rd–1st millennia BCE.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS)
, 120
(52)
, Article e2313361120. 10.1073/pnas.2313361120.
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Abstract
This study presents 32 high-resolution geomagnetic intensity data points from Mesopotamia, spanning the 3rd to the 1st millennia BCE. These data contribute to rectifying geographic disparities in the resolution of the global archaeointensity curve that have hampered our understanding of geomagnetic field dynamics and the viability of applying archaeomagnetism as a method of absolute dating of archaeological objects. A lack of precise and well-dated intensity data in the region has also limited our ability to identify short-term fluctuations in the geomagnetic field, such as the Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic Anomaly (LIAA), a period of high field intensity from ca. 1050 to 550 BCE. This phenomenon has hitherto not been well-demonstrated in Mesopotamia, contrary to predictions from regional geomagnetic models. To address these issues, this study presents precise archaeomagnetic results from 32 inscribed baked bricks, tightly dated to the reigns of 12 Mesopotamian kings through interpretation of their inscriptions. Results confirm the presence of the high field values of the LIAA in Mesopotamia during the first millennium BCE and drastically increase the resolution of the archaeointensity curve for the 3rd–1st millennia BCE. This research establishes a baseline for the use of archaeomagnetic analysis as an absolute dating technique for archaeological materials from Mesopotamia.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Exploring geomagnetic variations in ancient mesopotamia: Archaeomagnetic study of inscribed bricks from the 3rd–1st millennia BCE |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1073/pnas.2313361120 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2313361120 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | Copyright © 2023 the Author(s). Published by PNAS. This article is distributed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial- NoDerivatives License 4.0 (CC BY-NC- ND). See: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL SLASH > Faculty of S&HS > Institute of Archaeology > Institute of Archaeology Gordon Square |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10184227 |
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