Archaeomagnetic study of two kilns at Segesta, Sicily

A kiln (SG1) with an age 50 BC-AD 50 has stable linear components of magnetization, identified using alternating magnetic fields, giving a mean direction 355.5°, +58.2° (alpha 95 = 7.0°). Another kiln, of Late Roman age, also has stable, linear components of magnetization, identified by thermal methods, which gives a mean direction of 2.1°, +62. 3° (alpha 95 = 3.7°). The difference between the two mean directions is not very clearly established as the scatter of sample directions for kiln SG1 is higher than expected, but is not systematic and hence not related to magnetic refraction effects. It is considered that the archaeomagnetic observations support the reported age difference and that neither kiln was used at a later date. Kiln SG2 appears to be the same as that sampled by Evans & Mareschal (1987).