Scientists Use Geomagnetic Fields to Pinpoint Timeline of Destruction of Biblical Cities
Destruction of Jerusalem under the Babylonian rule. Illustration from the Nuremberg Chronicle
Archeologists began using magnetic surveying techniques in the 1950s, with advances in technology and the accumulation of data enabling them to receive more and more precise information about ancient archeological sites, and to find out other interesting information – like the state of Earth’s magnetic field thousands of years ago.An interdisciplinary team of scientists led by researchers from Hebrew University and the University of Tel Aviv have used a archaeomagnetic dating technique to categorize the ‘footprint’ left behind on artifacts by Earth’s magnetic field to more exactly determine the dates that ancient Middle Eastern cities mentioned in the Bible were destroyed.In a paper published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, the collective of scientists, led by Tel Aviv University Institute of Archeology doctoral student Yoav Vaknin, explained that the classification and categorization of ancient brickwork, stonework and other man-made materials accurately dated using magnetic dating techniques can help determine the time of destruction of other man-made objects which have not.“Based on the similarity or difference in intensity and direction of the magnetic field, we can either corroborate or disprove hypotheses claiming that specific sites were burned during the same military campaign. Moreover, we have constructed a variation curve of field intensity over time which can serve as a scientific dating tool, similar to the radiocarbon dating method,” Vaknin explained in a press release.“By combining precise historical information with advanced, comprehensive archeological research, we were able to base the magnetic method on reliably anchored chronology,” study coauthor Dr. Oded Lipschits added.The researchers’ database has recorded geomagnetic field data in 21 layers of historical ruins at 17 archeological sites across Israel, allowing for Biblical accounts on battles between the ancient Judean kingdoms and their Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian and Babylonian rivals to be precisely dated and corroborated.
Earth’s Magnetic Field Made Comeback Millions of Years ago & Preserved Life on Planet, Study Says31 July, 16:09 GMTThe 20 person interdisciplinary team of scientists involved in the study included archeologists, earth scientists, historians, antiquarians and Biblical scholars.“It all fits perfectly – better than I could even imagine –really proving the power of this method,” Vaknin said in an interview with Israeli media on Tuesday.The researchers discovered for example that the army of King Hazael of Aram-Damascus was singlehandedly responsible for the destruction of Tel Rehov, Tel Zaiyt and Horvat Tevet, plus Gath, a major Iron Age Philistine city.Dr. Erez Ben Yosef, one of the study’s coauthors, said that the database may finally help put to rest many decades of debate about the fate of the Kingdom of Judah and how it came to be destroyed.“Some researchers, relying on archeological evidence, argue that Judah was not completely destroyed by the Babylonians. While Jerusalem and frontier cities in the Judean foothills ceased to exist, other towns in the Negev, the southern Judean Mountains and the southern Judean foothills remained almost unaffected. Now, the magnetic results support this hypothesis, indicating that the Babylonians were not solely responsible for Judah’s ultimate demise,” Dr. Yosef explained.The latter settlements were likely destroyed several decades later, “probably by the Edomites who took advantage of the fall of Jerusalem,” the academic said.
