The Claim
Electricity was discovered and used as long as 2000 years ago
Electricity as we know it wasn’t discovered and understood until the late 1800’s, with the first significant invention being the light bulb in 1879, but before this date its well known that throughout history people didn’t have the luxury of flicking a switch to light up their homes.
There is significant evidence that past civilisations didn’t use electricity, which is what makes the following objects even more mystifying.
The Baghdad battery
This interesting find consists of a 5 inch tall pottery jar, inside is a rolled copper sheet that in turn has an iron rod inside of it. The iron rod is insulated from the copper using asphalt and protrudes out the top of the vessel when the lid is attached. The rolled cooper is not water tight and its generally thought that an acidic solution such as vinegar or lemon juice would have been used to fill the jar and create an electric current.
The battery was discovered in what is today known as Khujut Rabu in Iraq and is believed to date from the Parthian empire which existed from 150 BC to 223 AD.
One of the most widely accepted theories of the jar is that it was used to electroplate objects, which is done by putting dissolved metal in a liquid with a current running through it and another whole object to be coated. The current runs the the intended object and the dissolved metal forms a thin layer on the outside of it, used in today’s world to gold plate items.
The only problems with the jar is that experiments to recreate a working version using grape juice as the liquid have produced positive results, but nothing more than 1 volt was created, meaning it would not be possible to electroplate objects with such a small current.
Also the iron rod that comes out the top is one single piece, which would make it impossible to attach an appliance and power a circuit.
The Dendera Light
I know this one is a long shot but the image has created quite a stir with Egyptologists and all kinds of different theorists. The image is carved in stone within the Hathor temple located in Dendera, Egypt and seems to be the only one of its kind in the temple.
The original temple is believed to have been built during the reign of Pharaoh Pepi I in 2250 BC, though many parts of it were replaced and the temple that stands today was built around 360 – 343 BC. The image known as the Dendera light seems to be an original part of the temple, which would make it well over 2000 years old.
The image appears to show 2 long light bulb type devices that are plugged in to some kind of box, with what seems to be a conductor like support on the right hand light.
No artifacts have ever been found that resemble the objects in the picture, and no other image found across Egypt shows the same contraptions, which raises more questions on what it is.
One of the common rational explanations is that the image is simple a series of symbols and random artwork to Honor one of their gods, though it does seem like a very suspicious coincidence.
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