| The Parthian Battery is the title given to a supposed | | | | insignificant pain. |
| voltaic chamber discovered within an ancient tomb | | | | In spite of the frequent experiments with replicas of |
| close to Khujut Rabu in 1936 southeast of Baghdad. | | | | the Baghdad batteries, cynics dispute that there is no |
| The Baghdad battery as it is also termed, is a | | | | evidence that they ever operated as electric batteries. |
| excellent illustration of how science questions findings | | | | They conceive that an asphalt seal such as that on |
| of operational ancient lost technology. | | | | the Baghdad battery, whilst not remarkably realistic for |
| The entity, estimated to have existed in Baghdad | | | | a Galvanic cell, would be ideal as a airtight seal for |
| Egypt around 250BC, was discovered by workers | | | | storage over an protracted time. The problem now |
| excavating earth for a modern train track in the region | | | | remains if the Baghdad Battery was an isolated |
| of Khujut Rabu. In 1938, German archaeologist Wilhelm | | | | discovery given the lack of similar finds to date. |
| Konig, at the time director of the Baghdad Museum | | | | Disastrously however in 2003, in the course of the war |
| Research lab, stumbled upon the peculiar looking item, | | | | in Iraq, the Baghdad Battery was plundered from the |
| in a container in the museum cellar. | | | | National Museum, together with thousands of additional |
| The battery consists of a 14cm in height egg shaped | | | | incalculable ancient artifacts. A supported substitute |
| clay vase with an asphalt bung. Poking between the | | | | interpretation of those skeptical of the electrical battery |
| asphalt is an iron rod enveloped by a copper cylinder. | | | | hypothesis, is that the vessel acted as a repository for |
| When the vessel is filled with acetum or any other | | | | religious scrolls, conceivably comprising of rituals of |
| electrolytic mixture the vase omits around 1.5 to 2.0 | | | | some kind inscribed on natural textiles such as |
| volts of electricity. The initial theory was that the | | | | parchment or Cyperus papyrus. |
| battery had been used for electroplating gold onto | | | | Despite our understandings of the usage of this device |
| silver objects although it was later suppositioned that | | | | and whether or not it truly was a piece of lost ancient |
| the battery may have held medicinal applications | | | | technology remains a mystery given the limited |
| considering the bronze and iron spikes unearthed | | | | evidence retrieved from the excavation site. The fact |
| adjacent to the battery. The principal issue with the | | | | that the items were discovered next to each other |
| hypothesis of medical usage was in relation to the | | | | and when combined form a primitive battery we would |
| extremely low voltage the battery manufactures, | | | | be foolish to ignore the intelligence of our ancients, |
| which to some non believers would have not had any | | | | especially considering other ancient technologies which |
| evident influence on anything other than very | | | | we are confident of their function and purpose. |