Resolving rapid geomagnetic field intensity variations in the Near East between 7000 and 4000 BCE

Recent archaeomagnetic studies indicate that geomagnetic field intensity may vary rapidly, even on sub-centennial timescales. To constrain and better understand such high-frequency secular variations, continuous high-resolution and well-dated field intensity records are required. Here, we present new archaeomagnetic intensity (archaeointensity) data from 80 pottery samples from 20 different archaeological contexts in the Southern Levant, spanning the late 7th to 5th millennia BCE. The ages of 18 contexts are constrained by radiocarbon. We combine the new Levantine dataset with published data from the Northern Levant and Upper Mesopotamia to construct an updated Bayesian curve of geomagnetic field intensity variations for the Near East between 7000 and 4000 BCE. The revised curve reveals rapid geomagnetic field intensity variations during the 6th millennium BCE, including a pronounced, short-lived minimum around 5250 BCE, with virtual axial dipole moment (VADM) values below 55 ZAm², followed by a sharp increase in field intensity toward the end of the 6th millennium BCE. This minimum, linked to the Halaf–Ubaid Transitional (HUT) period in Upper Mesopotamia, marks the weakest field detected so far in the Near East over the past 9000 years, during a period likely characterized by a low global geomagnetic dipole moment. The revised curve also suggests rapid secular variation associated with the HUT archaeointensity minimum, with rates reaching at least 0.2 μT yr⁻¹ (equivalent to VADM changes of 0.4 ZAm² yr⁻¹). We demonstrate the application of the new curve as a chronological reference for archaeomagnetic dating of the youngest HUT boundary and the Wadi Rabah pottery production in the Southern Levant, highlighting the potential of archaeomagnetism to synchronize independently developed cultural chronologies across the Southern Levant, Northern Levant, and Upper Mesopotamia.