Applying archaeomagnetic method to identify the purpose of usage of archaeological furnaces

Summary The potential of archaeomagnetism as a reliable dating tool (absolute and relative) is beyond any doubt. Magnetism of archaeological baked clays, however, can be used for solving other archaeological problems that are not related to the site's chronology. In some cases, the discovered archaeological structures are so fragmented and poorly preserved that it is very difficult to establish the purpose of their usage. In this study, magnetic measurements were applied to determine maximum firing temperatures for several structures found at Prehistoric Settlement Damyanitza to find out if they were used for domestic purposes or for ceramic production. The determined firing temperatures with one exception vary from 730 to 770 °C and they are very similar to these observed for Neolithic and Eneolithic ceramic fragments analyzed with thermomagnetic method. Consequently, it can be concluded that the ovens from Damyanitza were used in the past for pottery production.