In 1936, while excavating ruins of a 2000-year-old village near Baghdad, workers discovered a mysterious small vase. A 6-inch-high pot of bright yellow clay dating back 2000 years contained a cylinder of sheet-copper 5 inches by 1.5 inches.
The edge of the copper cylinder was soldered with a 60-40 lead-tin alloy comparable to today's solder. The bottom of the cylinder was capped with a crimped-in copper disk and sealed with bitumen or asphalt. Another insulating layer of asphalt sealed the top and also held in place an iron rod suspended into the center of the copper cylinder. The rod showed evidence of having been corroded with an acidic agent.
6 comment(s):
It is enigmas such as this that make me wish for a better historical archeological find. What could they have possibly used such batteries for? How much charge could they hold...and for how long? I would hate to think they only used it for religious purposes. How fantastic is human ingenuity!
Lots of Archeologists think that the battery was used to gold plate statues. It gives off just enough of a charge for that to be possible. Either that or for their HAM radios ;)
I believe that Mythbusters proved or disproved this.
MythBusters determined that it was indeed plausible for ancient people to have used the Baghdad Battery for electroplating or electrostimulation.
But the batteries did not produce a substantial amount of energy and had to be connected in series in order to test the theories.
I remember the Mythbusters episode, especially since Adam got the crud shocked out of him. I was only expressing a disappointment if it was only used for religious "experiences". I forgot about gold plating.
Considering everything modern society uses electricity for, it is still amazing that mankind stumbled across the principals and used them before the industrial age.
Makes you wonder if the 'Ark of the Covenant' was electrified in such a manner.
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