Did the Ancients invent electricity?

[Altergo]

I was watching History Channel and they said something about an Ancient Egyptian Battery. I've done some reading and I'm not sure what to think. Do you think the Ancients invented electricity and if so or not why?

[Megaloria]

Ancient Egyptian Battery might mean what was happening ot the Jews before Moses showed up.

[UnhealthyTruthseeker]

I was watching History Channel and they said something about an Ancient Egyptian Battery. I've done some reading and I'm not sure what to think. Do you think the Ancients invented electricity and if so or not why?

The Greeks were familiar with the concept of static electricity that would come from rubbing things with amber. In fact, the term electricity comes from the Greek word for amber.

[Dyakovo]

I was watching History Channel and they said something about an Ancient Egyptian Battery. I've done some reading and I'm not sure what to think. Do you think the Ancients invented electricity and if so or not why?

No.

Because it is a natural phenomenon, natural phenomenons don't get invented, they just are.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

I'm not sure. I mean, the forces that produce electricity were available to the Ancients. They just didn't harness it as we've done. It is possible the Ancients may have dabbled in it, what they didn't do was use it the same way we use it today. I do not dismiss the idea of a battery like the one you're talking about. The Chinese had invented, thousands of years before out technological advances, a device that could predict, in a way, an earthquake.

[Colonic Immigration]

No one invented it, it's impossible to invent a force.

[Altergo]

I was watching History Channel and they said something about an Ancient Egyptian Battery. I've done some reading and I'm not sure what to think. Do you think the Ancients invented electricity and if so or not why?

No.

Because it is a natural phenomenon, natural phenomenons don't get invented, they just are.

I'll restate the question, did the Ancients use electricity

[Mirkana]

When you throw in the Baghdad Batteries, the evidence that a limited form of electricity existed in ancient times is significant.

[UNIverseVERSE]

It is possible that it was known to them -- both the aforementioned 'battery' and knowledge of static electricity seem quite plausible. However, harnessing it for useful work, or indeed any work at all, does not seem to have been done.

Similar to the steam engine, really. The Greeks devised one, but it was never more than a little scientific curiousity -- like a fancy executive toy.

[Dyakovo]

I was watching History Channel and they said something about an Ancient Egyptian Battery. I've done some reading and I'm not sure what to think. Do you think the Ancients invented electricity and if so or not why?

No.

Because it is a natural phenomenon, natural phenomenons don't get invented, they just are.

I'll restate the question, did the Ancients use electricity

The existence of what are apparently crude, early batteries, which actually do work (thanks Mythbusters) indicates that yes they did. A better question, I think, is what did they use the batteries for?

[Ashmoria]

I was watching History Channel and they said something about an Ancient Egyptian Battery. I've done some reading and I'm not sure what to think. Do you think the Ancients invented electricity and if so or not why?

No.

Because it is a natural phenomenon, natural phenomenons don't get invented, they just are.

I'll restate the question, did the Ancients use electricity

i suppose they did. but for what purpose?

[Megaloria]

The existence of what are apparently crude, early batteries, which actually do work (thanks Mythbusters) indicates that yes they did. A better question, I think, is what did they use the batteries for?

When the menfolk were away at war, the villages were still abuzz.

[Dyakovo]

The existence of what are apparently crude, early batteries, which actually do work (thanks Mythbusters) indicates that yes they did. A better question, I think, is what did they use the batteries for?

When the menfolk were away at war, the villages were still abuzz.

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

The existence of what are apparently crude, early batteries, which actually do work (thanks Mythbusters) indicates that yes they did. A better question, I think, is what did they use the batteries for?

When the menfolk were away at war, the villages were still abuzz.

Wait, are you suggesting the Ancient women had vibrators?!

Cities abuzzzzzzzzzz and all!

[Land of greed]

No.

Because it is a natural phenomenon, natural phenomenons don't get invented, they just are.

I'll restate the question, did the Ancients use electricity

i suppose they did. but for what purpose?

The show I watched had them use it to produce gold plate.
aka dip silver in gold iodine mixture attach battery and bam electroplated gold.
A pity museums are not fond of the idea of tearing up their gold treasures to prove it.

[Ashmoria]

i suppose they did. but for what purpose?

The show I watched had them use it to produce gold plate.
aka dip silver in gold iodine mixture attach battery and bam electroplated gold.
A pity museums are not fond of the idea of tearing up their gold treasures to prove it.

how do you (they) make gold iodine?

[Megaloria]

The existence of what are apparently crude, early batteries, which actually do work (thanks Mythbusters) indicates that yes they did. A better question, I think, is what did they use the batteries for?

When the menfolk were away at war, the villages were still abuzz.

Wait, are you suggesting the Ancient women had vibrators?!

Cities abuzzzzzzzzzz and all!

Goodness no, miss. Get your mind out of the gutter!
It's crowded down here.

[Bluth Corporation]

I'll restate the question, did the Ancients use electricity

i suppose they did. but for what purpose?

The show I watched had them use it to produce gold plate.
aka dip silver in gold iodine mixture attach battery and bam electroplated gold.
A pity museums are not fond of the idea of tearing up their gold treasures to prove it.

That wouldn't be necessary...simply checking an item's density is sufficient to discover whether or not it's solid gold.

[Farnhamia]

When you throw in the Baghdad Batteries, the evidence that a limited form of electricity existed in ancient times is significant.

I don't know about "significant." There are problems with the Baghdad Battery:

- bitumen completely covers the copper cylinder, electrically insulating it, so no current can be drawn without modifying the design;
- there are not any wires or conductors with them;
no widely accepted electrical equipment is associated with them. (Controversial stone reliefs depicting arc lights have been suggested, however the voltages obtained are orders of magnitude below what would be needed to produce arc lighting);
- a bitumen seal, being thermoplastic, is excellent for forming a hermetic seal for long term storage. It would be extremely inconvenient however for a galvanic cell, which would require frequent topping up of the electrolyte (if they were intended for extended use).

The artifacts strongly resemble another type of object with a known purpose—namely, storage vessels for sacred scrolls from nearby Seleucia on the Tigris. Those vessels do not have the outermost clay jar, but are otherwise almost identical. Since it is claimed these vessels were exposed to the elements, it would not be at all surprising if any papyrus or parchment inside had completely rotted away, perhaps leaving a trace of slightly acidic organic residue.

It's possible the Battery was some kind of electroplating device but given the problems, a very inefficient one. That the ancients may have discovered galvanic reactions is certainly possible. The truth is, if they did, they made negligible use of the discovery.

Oh, and the Baghdad Battery dates from between about 225 BCE and the third or fourth century CE, not from Ancient Egypt.

[Greed and Death]

i suppose they did. but for what purpose?

The show I watched had them use it to produce gold plate.
aka dip silver in gold iodine mixture attach battery and bam electroplated gold.
A pity museums are not fond of the idea of tearing up their gold treasures to prove it.

how do you (they) make gold iodine?

Sea salt (naturally has iodine in it) + Fresh water + gold flake. Drain out the stuff at the bottom, ad more water.
Also works with sea water and gold.
Or sea weed +fresh water + gold.
Basically look up natural dietary sources of Iodine.

[Greed and Death]

i suppose they did. but for what purpose?

The show I watched had them use it to produce gold plate.
aka dip silver in gold iodine mixture attach battery and bam electroplated gold.
A pity museums are not fond of the idea of tearing up their gold treasures to prove it.

That wouldn't be necessary...simply checking an item's density is sufficient to discover whether or not it's solid gold.

Then we got to make sure it is something we could electroplate.
Other forms of gold plate existed as well.

[Greed and Death]

When you throw in the Baghdad Batteries, the evidence that a limited form of electricity existed in ancient times is significant.

I don't know about "significant." There are problems with the Baghdad Battery:

- bitumen completely covers the copper cylinder, electrically insulating it, so no current can be drawn without modifying the design;
- there are not any wires or conductors with them;
no widely accepted electrical equipment is associated with them. (Controversial stone reliefs depicting arc lights have been suggested, however the voltages obtained are orders of magnitude below what would be needed to produce arc lighting);
- a bitumen seal, being thermoplastic, is excellent for forming a hermetic seal for long term storage. It would be extremely inconvenient however for a galvanic cell, which would require frequent topping up of the electrolyte (if they were intended for extended use).

The artifacts strongly resemble another type of object with a known purpose—namely, storage vessels for sacred scrolls from nearby Seleucia on the Tigris. Those vessels do not have the outermost clay jar, but are otherwise almost identical. Since it is claimed these vessels were exposed to the elements, it would not be at all surprising if any papyrus or parchment inside had completely rotted away, perhaps leaving a trace of slightly acidic organic residue.

It's possible the Battery was some kind of electroplating device but given the problems, a very inefficient one. That the ancients may have discovered galvanic reactions is certainly possible. The truth is, if they did, they made negligible use of the discovery.

Oh, and the Baghdad Battery dates from between about 225 BCE and the third or fourth century CE, not from Ancient Egypt.

If they did it was done pretty rarely.
Maybe only used to scam people on export goods.

[OMGeverynameistaken]

I am God, therefore I invented electricity.

[Farnhamia]

If they did it was done pretty rarely.
Maybe only used to scam people on export goods.

For you, my friend, this ancient gold artifact ... of course it's pure gold ... don't touch it, the gold tarnishes very easily ... not interested? well, perhaps you're someone who believes in the eternal value of land. I happen to have the actual deed to the Great Pyramid ...

[Greed and Death]

If they did it was done pretty rarely.
Maybe only used to scam people on export goods.

For you, my friend, this ancient gold artifact ... of course it's pure gold ... don't touch it, the gold tarnishes very easily ... not interested? well, perhaps you're someone who believes in the eternal value of land. I happen to have the actual deed to the Great Pyramid ...

Reminds me of my last trip to the mid east.
Who said Islam and capitalism don't mix ??

though I was thinking more along the lines of the state doing it with gold bars when ti had a budget crisis.