Abstract
We report here detailed evidence that during the period 1600–1100 BC the geomagnetic intensity in Egypt and western Asia increased monotonically by a factor of 1.6 and propose that, within this region and this period, such intensity can be used as a dating tool. The results, which form the reference data for age evaluation, are from well-dated archaeological samples of baked clay from Cyprus, Egypt, Israel and Mesopotamia using a version of the Thellier technique1 as modified for use in a cryogenic (SQUID) magnetometer2. There is no evidence for the more rapid fluctuations that have been reported for Egypt3, Greece4 and France5 during this and other periods. Earlier than 1700 BC the intensity remains close to the present-day level, although there is some indication of a small fluctuation.
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Aitken, M., Allsop, A., Bussell, G. et al. Geomagnetic intensity in Egypt and western Asia during the second millennium BC. Nature 310, 305–306 (1984). https://doi.org/10.1038/310305a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/310305a0
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