“Our findings indicate that the bricks burned and cooled on the spot, exactly where they were found, that is, in a fire in the building itself, which collapsed within a few hours,” said Vaknin, “if the building had collapsed over time, not in one fire event, the collapsed debris would have shown random magnetic directions “.
He explained: “In sun-dried mud bricks, these magnets are arranged in an almost random manner, and to a large extent cancel each other out, so that the magnetic signal of the brick is weak and uneven. Heating to a temperature of 200 degrees or higher, as happens in a fire, releases the magnetic signals of the particles and gives They have freedom of movement, and then, statistically, they align according to the earth’s magnetic field at that place and at that time. Thus, a relatively strong magnetic field with a uniform direction is created around the brick that can be measured with a magnetometer – and it indicates that the brick was indeed burned.”
He added: “We believe that the main reason for our colleagues’ misinterpretation was their inability to detect fire at temperatures below 500 degrees Celsius.”
“It is important to review conclusions from previous studies, and sometimes even refute previous interpretations, even if they came from your educational institution,” Meir said.
Professor Erez Ben-Yusel from the Sonia and Marco Nadler Institute of Archeology at Tel Aviv University said that the findings have more than just archaeological and historical significance. Their research has “significant ecological implications.”
“The technology of firing the bricks requires huge amounts of combustible materials, and in ancient times this might have led to massive deforestation and even the loss of tree species in the area.”