Did the Ancients invent electricity?

[Nanatsu no Tsuki]

I am God, therefore I invented electricity.

And you still owe me $20. Where's my money?!

[Grave_n_idle]

The Egyptians made an early precursor of what we call the Leyden Jar.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leyden_jar

[Bluth Corporation]

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.

Density analysis would still work for that.

It works for figuring out what types of rock make up the inner earth, it'll work for this.

[Ifreann]

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.

I was going to mention that. It came up on QI, they set up a steam engine to spin a ball around, for the novelty of it. They also had railways. They just never thought to combine these technologies and invent steam locomotives. Pity. If that technology had been around since the time of the Ancient Greeks the world would be a quite different place.

[UNIverseVERSE]

I was going to mention that. It came up on QI, they set up a steam engine to spin a ball around, for the novelty of it. They also had railways. They just never thought to combine these technologies and invent steam locomotives. Pity. If that technology had been around since the time of the Ancient Greeks the world would be a quite different place.

Well, their steam engine design wasn't really one that could be harnessed for useful work. It's basically the steam engine equivalent of those little palmtop Stirling engines you can buy -- looks cool, but doesn't serve much of a useful purpose.

The same with Ancient electrical devices. Probably nothing more than nifty devices to play with. Which is, really, something we could learn from. Doing things just because they're interesting to explore, instead of for their practical benefits.

Edit: I recall hearing of, but can't find a link for, an alternate history series which takes exactly this as its starting place. The Greeks put 2 and 2 together, invent the railroad, and conquer the world, exporting an industrial revolution, Athenian democracy, and a vaguely Buddhist religious system based on the beliefs of the Pythagoreans.

[Maurepas]

No, Electricity is discovered not invented, it is a natural phenomenon, not a man made one...

Next,

[Dyakovo]

No, Electricity is discovered not invented, it is a natural phenomenon, not a man made one...

Next,

I beat you to it...

[Maurepas]

No, Electricity is discovered not invented, it is a natural phenomenon, not a man made one...

Next,

I beat you to it...

Damn,

It is true though...

[Voltairian Prospects]

Why yes they did ...
I have an ancient Roman toaster in my kitchen

[Bluth Corporation]

No, Electricity is discovered not invented, it is a natural phenomenon, not a man made one...

Exactly, just like individual rights and the objectively correct set of moral principles.

Bye now!

[Galloism]

No, Electricity is discovered not invented, it is a natural phenomenon, not a man made one...

Exactly, just like individual rights and the objectively correct set of moral principles.

Bye now!

I feel like I was just the victim of a hit & run car accident.

[Voltairian Prospects]

No, Electricity is discovered not invented, it is a natural phenomenon, not a man made one...

Exactly, just like individual rights and the objectively correct set of moral principles.

Bye now!

I feel like I was just the victim of a hit & run car accident.

I feel a little more violated...

[Marcuslandia]

What do you consider "Ancient"?

http://ancientx.com/nm/anmviewer.asp?a=75

The Baghdad Battery
Today batteries can be found in any grocery, drug, convenience and department store you come across. Well, here's a battery that's 2,000 years old! Known as the Baghdad Battery, this curiosity was found in the ruins of a Parthian village believed to date back to between 248 B.C. and 226 A.D. The device consists of a 5-1/2-inch high clay vessel inside of which was a copper cylinder held in place by asphalt, and inside of that was an oxidized iron rod. Experts who examined it concluded that the device needed only to be filled with an acid or alkaline liquid to produce an electric charge. It is believed that this ancient battery might have been used for electroplating objects with gold. If so, how was this technology lost... and the battery not rediscovered for another 1,800 years?

[Hydesland]

No they invented the stargate.

[Greed and Death]

What do you consider "Ancient"?

http://ancientx.com/nm/anmviewer.asp?a=75

The Baghdad Battery
Today batteries can be found in any grocery, drug, convenience and department store you come across. Well, here's a battery that's 2,000 years old! Known as the Baghdad Battery, this curiosity was found in the ruins of a Parthian village believed to date back to between 248 B.C. and 226 A.D. The device consists of a 5-1/2-inch high clay vessel inside of which was a copper cylinder held in place by asphalt, and inside of that was an oxidized iron rod. Experts who examined it concluded that the device needed only to be filled with an acid or alkaline liquid to produce an electric charge. It is believed that this ancient battery might have been used for electroplating objects with gold. If so, how was this technology lost... and the battery not rediscovered for another 1,800 years?

That's Why I guess it was for ripping people off. the method fell out of favor when knowledge of Archimedes means to get the volume of any object using buoyancy became common knowledge.

[Desperate Measures]

LG is a direct descendant of the man who invented in the battery in ancient Egypt. However, instead of using this for something useful, he would run around the village asking people "to put this on your tongue."

[SaintB]

I'm sure it was used for elctroplating things; though I beleive they may not have actually understood what the process entailed.

[Greed and Death]

I'm sure it was used for elctroplating things; though I beleive they may not have actually understood what the process entailed.

they likely thought it was a way to turn silver into gold.

[Grave_n_idle]

I'm sure it was used for elctroplating things; though I beleive they may not have actually understood what the process entailed.

they likely thought it was a way to turn silver into gold.

Why? Because people who came before us were stupid?

Seriously, is this not a lesson we've learned yet?

[SaintB]

I'm sure it was used for elctroplating things; though I beleive they may not have actually understood what the process entailed.

they likely thought it was a way to turn silver into gold.

Why? Because people who came before us were stupid?

Seriously, is this not a lesson we've learned yet?

I'm saying that I do not beleive they understood the concept of the electric current and et all.

[Greed and Death]

I'm sure it was used for elctroplating things; though I beleive they may not have actually understood what the process entailed.

they likely thought it was a way to turn silver into gold.

Why? Because people who came before us were stupid?

Seriously, is this not a lesson we've learned yet?

Not stupid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy
Just didn't understand nuclear chemistry.

[Kagetora]

(If it hasn't been said already)

No. You cannot invent electricity. You can discover it, and I believe that Ancients were given the technology via the "Ancient Aliens" theory.

[Zombie PotatoHeads]

sure they discovered it, along with many other technologies that were lost during the Dark Ages.
All it really proves is two things:
1. It takes a rare person - a genius if you will - to look at such things and have a Eureka moment which lurches the entire society forward (technologically-speaking). Unfortunately there was no such person around back then who looked at their simple battery and thought of any use other than as a novelty.
2. It also shows why having immense labour force and slaves hinders social and technological development. To wit: there was no need for the railroad in Ancient Greek times, as they had enough slaves to lug everything around. It's no coincidence that the Renaissance occurred after the Black Death wiped out 1/3 of Europe's population. Innovation and labour-saving technology arose out of neccessity.

[Buffett and Colbert]

It's impossible to invent electiricity. It is a natural occurence. You can discover, but not invent it.

[Grave_n_idle]

they likely thought it was a way to turn silver into gold.

Why? Because people who came before us were stupid?

Seriously, is this not a lesson we've learned yet?

Not stupid.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy
Just didn't understand nuclear chemistry.

You don't need to understand nuclear chemistry to understand that gold in suspension adhere's to silver if you apply a current.

I'm not saying they would, of necessity, constructed the same kind of molecual rationals, but there's no reason to assume they thought they were transmuting.