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Archaeomagnetic secular variation in the UK during the past 4000 years and its application to archaeomagnetic dating |
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| Authors: | I Zananiri CM Batt DH Tarling |
| Institution: | a Department of Archaeological Sciences, University of Bradford, Bradford BD7 1DP, UK b CNRS, UMR 6566 Civilisation Atlantique et Archeosciences, Campus de Beaulieu, 35042 Rennes Cedex, France c Department of Geological Sciences, University of Plymouth, Plymouth PL4 8AA, UK d English Heritage, Fort Cumberland, Fort Cumberland Road, Eastney, Portsmouth PO4 9LD, UK |
| Abstract: | This paper examines the limitations and deficiencies of the current British archaeomagnetic calibration curve and applies several mathematical approaches in an attempt to produce an improved secular variation curve for the UK for use in archaeomagnetic dating. The dataset compiled is the most complete available in the UK, incorporating published results, PhD theses and unpublished laboratory reports. It comprises 620 archaeomagnetic (directional) data and 238 direct observations of the geomagnetic field, and includes all relevant information available about the site, the archaeomagnetic direction and the archaeological age. A thorough examination of the data was performed to assess their quality and reliability. Various techniques were employed in order to use the data to construct a secular variation (SV) record: moving window with averaging and median, as well as Bayesian statistical modelling. The SV reference curve obtained for the past 4000 years is very similar to that from France, most differences occurring during the early medieval period (or Dark Ages). Two examples of dating of archaeological structures, medieval and pre-Roman, are presented based on the new SV curve for the UK and the implications for archaeomagnetic dating are discussed. |
| Keywords: | Archaeomagnetic dating Secular variation UK Database Moving window Spline modelling Bayesian statistics |
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