2.4 KiB
| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baghdad Battery | 3/3 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Baghdad_Battery | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T09:17:17.899908+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Alternative hypothesis === Wilhelm König noted the clear similarity of this jar with the 4 found in Seleucia and 6 found in Ctesiphon. In 1932, Kühnel described those found at Ctesiphon as containers for "conjurations, blessings and the like, written perhaps on papyrus". Emmerich Paszthory asserted the Khujut Rabu jar and those from Seleucia and Ctesiphon were clearly magic objects - as all the parts were known to be associated with magic in that time. As the tubes were copper, the spell was probably protective. "Magic nails have been preserved in large numbers." The iron nails were used to nail fast the contents. Brad Hafford of the University of Pennsylvania and Penn Museum agreed with this analysis. The jars found in Seleucia were in the same vicinity as three magical or incantation bowls - made to protect against demons. Two of those bowls were covered with fake writing. Those two were found stacked together, covering a similarly inscribed eggshell. The jar found at Khujut Rabu' (the Baghdad Battery) was itself also found in association with magical bowls. The artifacts are similar to other objects believed to be storage vessels for sacred scrolls from nearby Seleucia on the Tigris. In March 2012, Professor Elizabeth Stone of Stony Brook University, an expert on Iraqi archaeology, returning from the first archaeological expedition in Iraq after 20 years, stated that she does not know a single archaeologist who believed that these were batteries.
== See also == Coso artifact – Spark plug supposedly encased in a 500,000-year-old geode Dendera light – Motif in the Hathor temple in Egypt History of the battery Leyden jar – Antique electrical device that stores a high-voltage electric charge List of topics characterized as pseudoscience Out-of-place artifact – Artifacts that challenge historical chronology
== References ==
== External links == Dunning, Brian (September 11, 2018). "Skeptoid #640: Draining the Baghdad Battery". Skeptoid. Rossi, M. [@Miniminuteman] (2022-09-30). Awful Archaeology Ep. 6.5: The Baghdad Battery... Again? (YouTube video). Retrieved 2023-05-09. The Baghdad Battery? Archaeologist Reacts! Artifactually Speaking, by archaeologist Dr. Brad Hafford