A recent study has uncovered that clay bricks utilized in construction projects by ancient kings have preserved a historical “map” documenting fluctuations in the Earth’s magnetic field.
Approximately 3,000 years ago, for reasons not fully comprehended, there was a sudden and significant increase in the Earth’s magnetic field strength in what is now modern Iraq.
This magnetic shift was effectively recorded in the bricks of cities across Iron Age Babylonia, offering a tangible historical account of transient changes in the Earth’s magnetic field, The Hill reported.
The research team conducted an analysis of the latent magnetic imprints within grains of iron oxide minerals present in 32 clay bricks sourced from archaeological sites across Mesopotamia, now corresponding to modern-day Iraq.
The magnetic field’s intensity at the time of the bricks’ creation was embedded in the minerals during the initial firing process by ancient brickmakers.
Each brick, inscribed with the name of the reigning king, was crafted during a specific timeframe, as determined by archaeologists, Phys.org reported.
By combining the imprinted royal names with the measured magnetic strength of the iron oxide grains, the researchers created a historical map illustrating changes in the Earth’s magnetic field strength.
Published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), these findings serve as a rare ancient record and provide insights into a crucial period in Western history—the development of ancient Mesopotamia.
Written by B.C. Begley
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B.C. Begley 