Do you believe electricity was used in ancient times?

Question

In the 1930 in Khujut Rabula on the outskirts of Bagdad, some people was digging in a little hill. They found remains of a tower from the time of Partert.
The museum of Irak then began to do archaeological excavations in the area. A German archaeologist, named W. Kö***, then discover curious things who seems to be like a cell in a modern pocket torch!
He found out that they had found remains of four similar ”batteries” near the old city Seleuca, an area down the river. At a visit in The Berlin museum he discovered several not assembled parts, like a cylinder of copper, sticks of iron and asphalt to feed ten likely ”batteries”, probable used in a series connection

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

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

Some scientists believe that artifacts found in Iraq which date from circa 200 BC are batteries and possibly used for electroplating

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2804257.stm

Answer 1

Some studies I have read about the Ark of the Covenant made me think it might have been electrical in nature or similar to a battery or weapon.
It had layers of metal, gold etc, and people could not touch it without getting fried, hence they had to use those long poles to carry it.
I believe it is highly probable that people were at much higher technological levels in ancient times than they were after the fall of Rome and that the Egyptians for instance may have had many technological devices. The Greeks had a rudimentary type of computer.

Answer 2

It's possible, though I think very unlikely, that this object functioned as a battery. There are problems with the battery theory, and certainly there are other things it could be. From the link below:

"Skeptical archaeologists see the electrical experiments as embodying a key problem with experimental archaeology; such experiments can only show that something was physically possible, they say nothing about whether it actually occurred. Further, there are many difficulties with the interpretation of these artifacts as galvanic cells:

* The asphalt 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 (though controversial stone reliefs depicting arc lights have been suggested);
* An asphalt 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).

Some observe that 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. "

Answer 3

Well I will admit that the artifacts you mention do appear to resemble electric batteries in form and function. But I'm not aware of any metal wires or cables having been found in proximity to the "batteries" to suggest they were actually being used to generate electric currents. Certainly if the artifacts did indeed serve as electric cells one should expect that at least some wires would have been found along side them. Sorry but I still need more convincing.

Answer 4

I'm gonna take a chance and say no. Why would they paint stick figures on the wall or walk across the beiring straight if they could've just put it on a dvd or taken the red eye to chicago? And if they did have electricity, then why the hell was the last ice age such a big deal? someone should've just turned the heat on!

Answer 5

It's very possible that the ancients stumbled onto electrical power without having a clue as to what it was.

I have heard of this discovery before. So I'm not wholly surprised at this question.

Answer 6

Hey... is this another one of those Al Gore con jobs warning us about the first time "Global Warming" took place?
Think about it... the "Baghdad Batteries" have to be responsible. That Al Gore certainly gets around. First Baghdad, then Egypt, then South America. That's why they disassembled and buried them after disconnecting the cables.
Possibly I should re-think my position about Al Gore... NOT..!!!

Answer 7

Yes

Answer 8

Yes, electricity was used extensively in past civilizations, but not for the same vain reasons we consume its energy.

Answer 9

These are artifacts that survived the 1st nuclear war when civilization back then was destroyed. Then Charlton Heston landed back on the earth and taught the remains of the human race how to take back our land from the apes.

Answer 10

Those batteries must the weapons of mass destruction they couldn't find. W. Kö***, the shifty one, must've known they were going to look for them in the future as an excuse for War.