Ancient Mesopotamian Bricks Confirm Anomaly in Earth's Magnetic Field

The bricks, dating back to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II, reveal a dramatic shift in the magnetic field, opening up new methods for dating ancient artifacts.

• Ancient Mesopotamian bricks have confirmed a mysterious anomaly in Earth's magnetic field that occurred 3,000 years ago.
• The bricks, imprinted with the names of Mesopotamian kings, were baked between the third and first millennia B.C. Iron oxide grains within the clay recorded changes in Earth's magnetic field when the bricks were heated.
• The research supports evidence for the 'Levantine Iron Age geomagnetic Anomaly,' a time when the planet's magnetic field was surprisingly strong around what is now Iraq between 1050 and 550 B.C.
• In five of the samples, dating to the reign of Nebuchadnezzar II (circa 604 to 562 B.C.), the grains indicated that Earth's magnetic field shifted dramatically over the period.
• The findings may help scientists date artifacts in the future and provide a new method of dating ancient artifacts void of organic matter.

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