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Nasrin Dadashzadeh *1 
, Masoud B. Kasiri2 
, Hamideh Rashid3 , Mohamad Hamedpour Darabi4 , Akbar Abedi2 , Atekeh Aslani3
, Masoud B. Kasiri2 , Hamideh Rashid3 , Mohamad Hamedpour Darabi4 , Akbar Abedi2 , Atekeh Aslani3
1- Faculty of Cultural Materials Conservation, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran , Nasrindadashzadeh80@gmail.com
2- Faculty of Cultural Materials Conservation, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran
3- Geology and Mineral Exploration Organization of Iran, Tehran, Iran
4- Physics Department, University of Hormozgan, Hormozgan, Iran
2- Faculty of Cultural Materials Conservation, Tabriz Islamic Art University, Tabriz, Iran
3- Geology and Mineral Exploration Organization of Iran, Tehran, Iran
4- Physics Department, University of Hormozgan, Hormozgan, Iran
Abstract: (662 Views)
Paleomagnetism is an interdisciplinary field that bridges geophysics and archaeology, focusing on the study of variations in the Earth’s magnetic field throughout human history. This method utilizes periodic changes in the geomagnetic field and the properties of certain archaeological materials that can record the direction and intensity of the Earth’s magnetic field, enabling the relative dating of artifacts. The samples analyzed in this research were selected from pottery artifacts excavated at the archaeological sites of Kul Tepe Jolfa and Dava Göz Khoy. These samples span various chronological periods, ranging from the Neolithic to the Kura-Araxes II period (5215–2638 BCE), with their absolute ages previously determined using the radiocarbon (14C) dating method. The objective of this study was to develop a reference curve illustrating periodic variations in the inclination of the ancient magnetic field and to establish a relative dating tool for estimating the age of unidentified samples from the same temporal range. To achieve this, laboratory techniques were employed, including: 1) Measurement of mass-specific magnetic susceptibility using the Kappabridge instrument. 2) Detection of superparamagnetic minerals via frequency-dependent magnetic susceptibility measurements using the Bartington apparatus. 3) Magnetic mineralogy analysis conducted with a Multi-Function Kappabridge. Thermal demagnetization was used to eliminate secondary magnetization and isolate the primary magnetic signature. The analyzed samples exhibited comparable magnetic behavior, attributed to the prevalence of ferromagnetic minerals. The ferromagnetic mineral grains comprised a mixture of superparamagnetic and larger particles. Magnetite and titano-magnetite were identified as the primary magnetic carriers in all samples, while hematite was notably absent. The irreversibility observed in the magnetic temperature curves suggests insufficient heating and phase transformation of minerals during thermal processing, posing challenges to the accurate determination of archaeomagnetic properties. Nonetheless, there is a strong concordance between the obtained results and the reference curve of archaeomagnetic inclination variations for the investigated time span. This alignment is further supported by data from neighboring sites within the same temporal and spatial context. Despite certain limitations and uncertainties, the reference curve remains a viable tool for age determination of thermally altered samples and artifacts within the specified chronological framework and a spatial radius of approximately 1000 km around the examined two sites.
Technical Note: Original Research |
Subject:
Archaeometry
Received: 2023/05/25 | Accepted: 2025/04/12
Received: 2023/05/25 | Accepted: 2025/04/12
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