By: Ariel David – Haaretz; haaretz.com
Floor tiles from house burnt down by the Babylonians 2,600 years ago yield data that could help better understand the erratic behavior of the planetary shield protecting us from cosmic radiation
Archaeologists joke that nothing makes them happier than finding signs of destruction. Ancient sites that slowly declined or were simply abandoned are hard to date and often contain a confusing jumble of remains from different periods. But when an entire city gets suddenly buried by a volcanic eruption, demolished by an earthquake or burned down by a brutal invader, the tragedy freezes a single moment in time, giving experts a clearer picture of how people lived in that period, right up until disaster struck.
This archaeological schadenfreude is now taking on a new dimension, as researchers are increasingly using ancient ruins left over by violent conflagrations for an unexpected purpose: trying to understand the enigmatic and unpredictable behavior of Earth’s magnetic field.