RT Journal Article T1 First directional European palaeo secular variation curve for the Neolithic based on archaeomagnetic data A1 Carrancho Alonso, Ángel A1 Villalain, J.J. A1 Pavón Carrasco, Francisco Javier A1 Osete López, María Luisa A1 Straus, Lawrence Guy A1 Vergès, Josep María A1 Carretero, José Miguel A1 Angelucci, D.E. A1 González Morales, M.R. A1 Arsuaga Ferreras, Juan Luis A1 Bermúdez de Castro, José María A1 Carbonell i Roura, Eudald AB Neolithic, Cha1colithic and Bronze Age anthropogenic cave sediments from three caves from northernSpain have been palaeomagnetically investigated. 662 oriented specimens corresponding to 39 burningevents (ash-carbonaceous couplets) from the three sites with an average of 16 samples per fire werecollected. 26 new archaeomagnetic directions have been obtained for the time period ranging from5500 to 2000 yr ca!. BC. These results represent the oldest archaeomagnetic directions obtained fromburnt archaeological materials throughout all Western Europe. Magnetisation is carried by pseudo-singiedomain low-coercivity ferromagnetic minerals (magnetite, magnetite with no significant isomorphoussubstitution and/or maghaemite). Rock-magnetic experiments indicate a thermoremanent origin of themagnetisation although a thermochemical magnetisation cannot be excluded. Combination of the newdata presented here and the recent updated Bulgarian database allows us to propose the first Europeanpalaeosecular variation (PSV) curve for the Neolithic. A bootstrap method was applied for the curveconstruction using penalised cubic B-splines in time. The new palaeosecular variation curve is wellconstrained from 6000 BC to 3700 BC, the period with the highest density of data, showing a declinationmaximum around 4700 BC and a minimum in inclination at 4300 BC, which are not recorded bythe recent global CALSlOK.1 b and regional SCHA.DIF.8K models due to the use of lake sediment data.Dating resolution by using the proposed PSV curve oscillates from approximately ±30 yr to ±200 yrfor the period 6000 to 1000 yr BC, reaching similar resolution as radiocarbon dating. Consideringthe good preservation, age-control and widespread occurrence of burnt archaeological materials acrossSouthern Europe, they represent a new source of data for geomagnetic field modelling, as well as forarchaeomagnetic dating. PB Elsevier Science B.V., Amsterdam SN 0012-821X YR 2013 FD 2013 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/33649 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/33649 LA eng DS Docta Complutense RD 9 jul 2025