Iraq may seem the central focus regarding the farcical ‘war on terror’ meme. However, Iraq happens to be one of the oldest cultures in the world. It is a place rich in heritage, the Garden of Eden and the Tower of Babel are said to have been sited in this ancient land. Not to mention ancient Mesopotamia (pre-Iraq) also gave us writing and the wheel.

There is however another quite remarkable device which dates back over 2,000 years; the Baghdad Battery. This device may have been used as a galvanic cell, perhaps used for electroplating objects and garnishing them with a gold or silver layer. The amazing part, if the battery was used for this purpose then it pre-dates Alessandro Volta’s 1800 invention of the electrochemical cell by more than a millennium.

Wilhelm Konig, the German archaeologist who discovered the Baghdad Battery in 1938 postulated that the discovery had to have been a battery. The strange fact of the matter is that during 200BC, in the Parthian era, the skilled warriors were not noted for their scientific achievements. Herein lies the question… How could ancient Persian science have grasped the principles of electricity and arrived at this knowledge?

Even though this artefact is known as the Baghdad Battery, no-one is sure what they were actually used for. Replicas of the battery can produce voltages from 0.8 to 2.0 volts. Similar in fact to the voltage produced if you were to stick a nail into the side of a tree.

Some suggested applications of the Baghdad battery include: -

Electroplating

- This suggestion seems to be the most popular, this is the process used to create the most evil invention of mankind; money.

Magic Rituals and Pranks

- The battery would be attached to a statue, when people came to worship their God/s, if they were to touch the statue they would receive a small electrical shock via the Baghdad battery.

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Is this yet another ‘forgotten’ suppressed technology which has been brushed under the passage of time’s carpets!

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10 Responses to “Free Energy Friday – The Baghdad Battery”

1. Mr Javo Says:
   December 13th, 2008 at 12:27 am

   Hey Rob, what about the life of that battery? Because 0.8~2V is a few charge.. I’m associating it with an AA battery of 1.5V.

2. SolReka Says:
   December 13th, 2008 at 12:36 am

   Hi Javier, Not sure about the longevity of the battery. The important point I wastrying to raise is the fact that this technology can be traced back 2,000. Just think what other advanced technologies ancient civilizations had access to.

   For example the Antikythera mechanism – 2,200 year old computer. And then there is talk of Atlantis having flying machines.

3. keri Says:
   December 15th, 2008 at 8:29 pm

   NO way! That thing is totally funky.

4. Dover Says:
   December 16th, 2008 at 7:19 pm

   It is amazing that this battery has 2000 year old roots. It really makes you think, because so much of the things we use today are so often based on technology like this, which is so much older.

   I never knew that about trees either. I had to go google tree power

5. SolReka Says:
   December 17th, 2008 at 8:34 pm

   @Dover.
   “so much of the things we use today are so often based on technology like this, which is so much older.” – EXACTLY. Makes you wonder doesn’t it, perhaps our technologies aren’t so new after all.

   SolReka’s last blog post..Free Energy Friday – The Baghdad Battery

6. Anna Says:
   December 27th, 2008 at 12:45 am

   I think the people who lived on Earth thousands of years ago were a lot smarter than we think. And I had also never heard about the nail in the tree! I am going to have to research this.

   Anna’s last blog post..Solar Shingles Demonstration

7. Marietta Photovoltaic Says:
   February 23rd, 2009 at 9:08 am

   They had the power … but they did not use it!

8. SolReka Says:
   February 23rd, 2009 at 6:54 pm

   They were a very advanced civilization, one could almost say that they were more advanced than we are today.

   SolReka’s last blog post..Ex MI5 head raps UK Government about Police State

9. corfubob Says:
   February 28th, 2009 at 8:10 pm

   Anthropologists say that intelligence as a capacity to think and work things out has not greatly increased since pre-history. In a climate where lemons grow it is hard to imagine that ‘batteries’ consisting of two different metals stuck in a lemon would not have been invented, but there was probably nothing that could be done with 1.1/2volts. Lots of lemons, or ‘battries’ wired up with ’series’ connections for a higher voltage could easily have been invented (did they draw wire?). And easily have been suppressed by the authorities!

10. Internet management Says:
    April 3rd, 2009 at 9:24 am

    There is obviously a lot to know about this. I think you made some good points in Features also.

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