Further evidence of the Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic anomaly from Georgian pottery
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Abstract Recent archaeomagnetic data from ancient Israel revealed the existence of a so‐called “Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic anomaly” (LIAA) which spanned the first 350 years of the first millennium before the Common Era (B.C.E.) and was characterized by a high averaged geomagnetic field (virtual axial dipole moments, VADM > 140 Z Am 2 , nearly twice of today's field), short decadal‐scale geomagnetic spikes (VADM of 160–185 Z Am 2 ), fast field variations, and substantial deviation from dipole field direction. The geographic constraints of the LIAA have remained elusive due to limited high‐quality paleointensity data in surrounding locations. Here we report archaeointensity data from Georgia showing high field values (VADM > 150 Z Am 2 ) in the tenth or ninth century B.C.E., low field values (VADM < 60 Z Am 2 ) in the twelfth century B.C.E., and fast field variation in the fifth and fourth centuries B.C.E. High field values in the time frame of LIAA have been observed so far only in three localities near the Levant: Eastern Anatolia, Turkmenistan, and now Georgia, all located east of longitude 30°E. West of this, in the Balkans, field values in the same time are moderate to low. These constraints put geographic limits on the extent of the LIAA and support the hypothesis of an unusually intense regional geomagnetic anomaly during the beginning of the first half of the first millennium B.C.E., comparable in area and magnitude (but of opposite sign) to the presently active South Atlantic anomaly.
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The Levantine Iron Age Anomaly (LIAA) spanned from the 10th century BCE until at least the 5th century BCE in the Near East and Europe.
“a high field anomaly, which spanned from the 10th century BCE until at least the 5th century BCE in the Near East and Europe [5, 21, 35–37].”
From The Earth’s magnetic field in Jerusalem during the Babylonian destruction: A unique reference for field behavior and an anchor for archaeomagnetic dating (2020) · cites this paper as [35]
The Introduction dates the LIAA to approximately 1050–700 BCE, not to at least the 5th century BCE. The Conclusions place its western limit around 30°–35°E, and the discussion of regional data distinguishes a later peak seen in Europe from the LIAA. (LLM, conf=0.90)
Checked by a reasoning model — may be wrong.
Experimental — accuracy not yet measured586 BCE was believed to follow a period of an intense high-field anomaly identified in the Near East and Western Europe.
“From a geomagnetic perspective, 586 BCE was believed to follow a period of an intense high-field anomaly identified in the Near East [32, 35] and in Western Europe [5, 36, 37].”
From The Earth’s magnetic field in Jerusalem during the Babylonian destruction: A unique reference for field behavior and an anchor for archaeomagnetic dating (2020) · cites this paper as [35]
The LIAA is characterized by generally high averaged field values (130-160 ZAm2), with short episodes of higher field values and geomagnetic spikes, fast secular variation rates and large angular deviations from the GAD field.
“This anomaly is characterized by generally high averaged field values (130–160 ZAm2), with short episodes of higher field values and geomagnetic spikes, fast secular variation rates and large angular deviations from the GAD field.”
From The Earth’s magnetic field in Jerusalem during the Babylonian destruction: A unique reference for field behavior and an anchor for archaeomagnetic dating (2020) · cites this paper as [35]
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- Authors
- Shaar, R., Tauxe, L., Goguitchaichvili, A., Devidze, M., & Licheli, V.
- Affiliations
- Hebrew University of Jerusalem (IL)
- Scripps Institution of Oceanography (US)
- Instituto de Geofísica (MX)
- Tbilisi State University (GE)
- Corresponding author
- Shaar, Ron
- Venue
- Geophysical Research Letters
- Publisher
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- Published
- 2017-03-15
- Volume
- 44
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 2229-2236
- ISSN
- 0094-8276 (ISSN-L)
- 1944-8007
- OpenAlex
- W2590548966
- Cited by
- 36
- References
- 51
- Citations by year
- 2025: 2 · 2024: 5 · 2023: 3 · 2022: 3 · 2021: 7 · 2020: 3 · 2019: 6 · 2018: 5 · 2017: 2
- FWCI
- 1.79
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Geophysical Research Letters (publishedVersion)
- eScholarship (California Digital Library) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- University of California Institute for Mexico and the United States (CN‐09‐282)
- National Science Foundation (EAR 1345003)
- Israel Science Foundation (1364/15)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Soil Science › Soil and Environmental Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Atmospheric Science › Geology and Paleoclimatology Research
- Keywords
- archaeointensity, virtual axial dipole moment, geomagnetic field intensity, Georgia, ancient Israel, South Atlantic Anomaly, geomagnetic field variations, paleointensity
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