Magnetic moments in the past: Developing archaeomagnetic dating for application in UK archaeology

申请人最近合作并发表了一项研究，该研究建立了一种方法，用于使用地球过去磁场的测量来确定英国过去4000年的考古材料的年代。该项目的主要目的是通过开发其在英国考古学中的实际应用来实现这一研究的潜力。建立年表是研究人类过去的最重要的一步，科学测年现在是考古调查的基础。考古磁性测年法有很大的潜力：它可以确定烧制粘土和石头的年代，例如在考古遗址上经常出现的炉床、窑、烤箱和熔炉;它可以确定特征的最后使用日期，提供与人类活动的明确联系;它具有成本效益，并且在其他测年方法（如放射性碳测年法）有问题的时期可能最精确。人们越来越有兴趣使用考古地磁测年作为考古学家可用的一套年代学工具的一部分。最近为以发展为主导的考古部门编制的最佳做法指南明确要求考虑使用这一标准，商业考古部门进行的挖掘越来越多地使用这一标准，（据估计，目前每年委托进行50-100次考古地磁测年）。然而，尽管学术研究为使用该方法奠定了科学基础，它尚未得到例行通过。这部分是由于缺乏可访问的信息来评估其在特定考古环境中的适用性，部分是因为没有现有考古磁力测量的协调、集中记录。该项目将通过开发一个基于网络的资源和数据库来解决这些不足之处，该资源和数据库将整理英国所有现有的考古地磁数据，并允许用户解决具体问题，例如特定时期的预期错误，特定类型特征的适用性以及以前在同一地区或同一类型特征上的研究。古地磁年代是通过比较从考古材料中获得的磁场方向测量值与通过其他方法对考古特征进行古地磁研究而建立的地磁场变化记录来确定的。拟议的项目不仅将使用户能够校准磁测量数据以获得日期，而且还将使新的数据能够纳入地磁场模型，从而改进该技术以供今后使用。后一个方面尤为重要，因为随着校准记录收集数据的增加，该技术也在不断改进。该项目将布拉德福德大学的学术研究与英国文物局的专业知识相结合，在英国考古部门制定最佳实践。项目成果将主要对在商业和研究环境中工作的考古学家以及为考古调查提供咨询和预算的人有用。

The applicants have recently collaborated on, and published, research which establishes a methodology for using measurements of the past magnetic field of the Earth for dating archaeological materials in the last 4000 years in the UK. The primary aim of this project is to realise the potential of this research by developing its practical application in UK archaeology.Building a chronology is the single most important step in the study of the human past and scientific dating is now fundamental to archaeological investigations. Archaeomagnetic dating has great potential: it dates fired clay and stone, for example hearths, kilns, ovens and furnaces which occur frequently on archaeological sites; it dates the last use of features, providing a clear link to human activity; it is cost-effective and is potentially most precise in periods where other dating methods, such as radiocarbon dating, are problematic. There is increasing interest in using archaeomagnetic dating as part of the suite of chronological tools available to archaeologists. This is demonstrated by the explicit requirement to consider its use in recent best practice guidance produced for the development-led archaeology sector and by its increasing use in excavations conducted by the commercial archaeological sector (it is estimated that 50-100 archaeomagnetic dates per year are currently commissioned).However, whilst academic research establishes the scientific basis for the use of the method, it has yet to be adopted routinely. This is partly due to a lack of accessible information allowing evaluation of its suitability in specific archaeological circumstances and partly because there is no coordinated, centralised record of existing archaeomagnetic measurements. This project will address these deficiencies by developing a web-based resource and database which will collate all existing UK archaeomagnetic data and allow the user to address specific questions, such as the expected errors in a particular period, the suitability of specific types of features and the existence of previous studies in the same region or on the same type of feature. Archaeomagnetic dates are produced by comparing measurements of magnetic direction obtained from archaeological materials with a record of geomagnetic field variations built up from archaeomagnetic studies of archaeological features dated by other methods. The proposed project will not only allow users to calibrate magnetic measurements to obtain dates, but it will also allow new data to be incorporated in the geomagnetic field model, thus improving the technique for future use. The latter aspect is particularly important as the technique improves as more data is collected for the calibration record.The project combines academic research at the University of Bradford with the expertise of English Heritage in developing best practice within the English archaeological sector. The project outcomes will primarily be useful to archaeologists working in both commercial and research settings and to those advising and budgeting for archaeological investigations.