Ancient Ceramic Pots From Judea Shed New Light On Enigmatic Earth’s Geomagnetic Field

MessageToEagle.com – Earth’s geomagnetic field has been fluctuating for thousands of years but not disappearing, according to a new study conducted by researchers from Tel Aviv University, Hebrew University of Jerusalem and University of California-San Diego.

Ancient Judean ceramic pots. Photo credits: Oded Lipschits of Tel Aviv University
Ancient Judean ceramic pots. Photo credits: Oded Lipschits of Tel Aviv University

New evidence – in form of changes in the strength of the geomagnetic field – was found in 67 well-dated Judean jar handles, heat-impacted ceramic pots, which bear royal stamp impressions from the eighth to second centuries BC.

“The field strength of the 8th century BCE corroborates previous observations of our group, first published in 2009, of an unusually strong field in the early Iron Age. We call it the ‘Iron Age Spike,’ and it is the strongest field recorded in the last 100,000 years,” said Dr. Erez Ben-Yosef of TAU’s Institute of Archaeology, the study’s lead investigator.

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To accurately measure geomagnetic intensity, the researchers used laboratory-built paleomagnetic ovens and a superconducting magnetometer.

“Ceramics, baked clay, burned mud bricks, copper slag — almost anything that was heated and then cooled can become a recorder of the components of the magnetic field at the time of the event,” said Ben-Yosef in a press release.

Stamped handle from Ramat Rahel in ancient Judea. The inscription reads “to be sent to the king / belonging to the king, Hebron” . CreditsOded Lipschits
Stamped handle from Ramat Rahel in ancient Judea. The inscription reads “to be sent to the king / belonging to the king, Hebron” . CreditsOded Lipschits

“Ceramics have tiny minerals – magnetic ‘recorders’ – that save information about the magnetic field of the time the clay was in the kiln. The behavior of the magnetic field in the past can be studied by examining archaeological artifacts or geological material that were heated then cooled, such as lava.”

The function of the geomagnetic field is still not completely understood but according to Ben-Yosef, the phenomenon is not unique and the field has often weakened and recovered over the last millennia.

Study is published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

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