A report on the archaeomagnetic results for eighteen British and five South- West American pottery samples shows that in both areas sampled field strength fluctuations occurred over the 1100 years between 600 and 1700 years AD. The variations in Britain and South-West America are not in phase and suggest a westward drift of non-dipole features of 0. 32% per year. Whilst these results offer the possibility of dating individual pottery sherds from excavations, limitations in the method, period coverage and lack of resources for farther work suggest that considerable work will be needed before a service to archaeologists could be offered.
Archaeomagnitude Determinations for Britain and South-West Usa from 600AD to 1700AD and their Implications for Medieval Pottery Studies
15 May 2025