The Baghdad Battery: Ancient Technology

"Baghdad Battery"

"A 2,200-year-old clay jar found near Baghdad, Iraq, has been described as the oldest known electric battery in existence. The clay jar and others like it are part of the holdings of the National Museum of Iraq and have been attributed to the Parthian Empire ...."

This is an informed and informative discussion of the Baghdad Battery, and its possible uses.

I first ran into references to this artifact back in the sixties, when it was being used as "proof" that extraterrestrials had visited earth. (The argument was based in part on the assumption that those ancient people weren't very smart, and couldn't have invented anything themselves.)

It's nice to see a more plausible discussion of this remarkable device.

Description, discussion, photo and diagram.