15 Artifacts So Advanced, Experts Still Can’t Explain Them | Part 2

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 Ancient Power Source: The Baghdad Battery Enigma

In 1936, during excavations in Khujut Rabu, near Baghdad, German archaeologist Wilhelm König made a peculiar discovery. Among an assortment of ancient artifacts, he unearthed a small clay jar, roughly 14 centimeters (5.5 inches) tall, with an asphalt stopper. Protruding from the stopper was an iron rod, and inside, suspended within a copper cylinder, was another iron rod. König, a man with an insatiable curiosity for the mechanics of ancient cultures, immediately recognized the unusual assembly. His initial examination, conducted under the flickering gaslight of his field tent, sparked a thought, a wild theory that would provoke both fascination and furious debate for decades to come: could this be an ancient battery?

König’s meticulous notes describe his process. He carefully removed the asphalt stopper, revealing the precise arrangement of the two dissimilar metals – copper and iron – insulated from each other yet in close proximity within the jar. The copper cylinder itself showed signs of corrosion, consistent with exposure to an acidic agent. He theorized that if an electrolyte, such as vinegar or grape juice, were poured into the jar, an electrochemical reaction could occur, generating a small electric current. His colleagues, initially skeptical, listened intently as he passionately presented his findings, drawing diagrams in the dusty soil.

The academic world's initial reaction was a mixture of dismissive skepticism and polite bemusement. The prevailing historical narrative placed the discovery of electricity firmly in the realm of the 18th and 19th centuries, with figures like Galvani and Volta. To suggest a battery existed in Parthian or Sasanian Mesopotamia, some two millennia earlier, seemed preposterous, an affront to established scientific chronology. Dr. Franz Mitter, a prominent Assyriologist of the time, was quoted in a German newspaper as saying, 'A fanciful notion, Herr König. More likely a vessel for scrolls or a ceremonial object.'

Yet, König's theory gained traction among a small, intrepid group of researchers. In the 1940s, Willard F. M. Gray, an engineer at General Electric's High Voltage Laboratory, performed what is arguably the most famous replication experiment. Using a replica of the Baghdad Battery filled with grape juice, he successfully generated a measurable voltage of approximately 0.5 volts. Gray, a man of practical science, demonstrated its functionality, albeit with limited power. He famously quipped during a demonstration, 'It's not going to power a city, but it's enough to light a small bulb or, perhaps, perform electroplating.'

This led to the primary hypothesis concerning the battery's function: electroplating. The idea was that ancient artisans might have used it to gold-plate silver items, or perhaps to apply other metal coatings, giving objects a more lustrous appearance. This would explain the occasional discovery of exceptionally well-gilded artifacts from the period, whose methods of creation have long puzzled metallurgists. However, definitive archaeological evidence of electroplating from this era remains elusive. While some artifacts show thin metallic coatings, it is difficult to conclusively prove they were applied electrochemically rather than through traditional fire-gilding techniques.

Another theory posits a medical or ritualistic purpose. Ancient texts describe the use of electric fish for pain relief; perhaps these batteries were used for similar therapeutic purposes, providing mild electric shocks for acupuncture or to alleviate various ailments. Some researchers have suggested a role in religious rituals, where a priest might touch an electrically charged idol, creating a 'divine' shock for a worshipper, enhancing the mystique of the deity. However, again, concrete historical or archaeological evidence supporting these uses is lacking.

The Baghdad Battery, therefore, remains an 'out-of-place artifact' that defies easy explanation. Its potential functionality as a battery is widely accepted, yet its actual application in ancient Mesopotamian society is still a matter of intense speculation. Was it a singular invention, a stroke of genius never widely adopted? Or is it merely one piece of a larger, lost technological puzzle? The lack of accompanying electrical wires, lamps, or other devices often cited by skeptics does indeed present a significant hurdle. Nevertheless, the ingenuity embedded within that simple clay jar continues to challenge our understanding of ancient capabilities, leaving us to ponder the true extent of ancient knowledge and the mysterious potential of the Baghdad Battery.