Did Ancient Egyptians Have Electricity?

[ParanormalEtcetera]

It would seem they at least had batteries. To power what is anyone's guess. Of course soot means fire was there. Portable batteries wouldn't leave anything behind. So what else could they have had?

 

[PaulaJedi]

It would seem they at least had batteries. To power what is anyone's guess. Of course soot means fire was there. Portable batteries wouldn't leave anything behind. So what else could they have had?

Fire used until batteries discovered. OR the batteries were used for something entirely different.

 

[Ike]

Fire used until batteries discovered. OR the batteries were used for something entirely different.

The batteries aren't very powerful. If they used them for a source of light, I would remained charged very long. My theory is the used them in medicine, possibly apothecaries? ?

 

[PaulaJedi]

Ok, brainstorm #2.

If they aren't batteries, what are they?
Why did they use copper?

Thoughts?

 

[PaulaJedi]

Fire used until batteries discovered. OR the batteries were used for something entirely different.

The batteries aren't very powerful. If they used them for a source of light, I would remained charged very long. My theory is the used them in medicine, possibly apothecaries? ?

This is the part where I'm ignorant. I wouldn't know how much power they would create. Maybe they didn't realize that they almost made batteries. Hmmmm

 

[Ike]

This is the part where I'm ignorant. I wouldn't know how much power they would create. Maybe they didn't realize that they almost made batteries. Hmmmm

I think they knew. But my theory is they used the batteries as a source of heat to create chemical reactions in their medicinal endeavors.

 

[Harte]

I respect your points of view.

This is because you already know that I know everything there is to know.

Why did the Egyptians use copper in the "vases"? Did it help support torches?

The "vases" weren't from Egypt.

They are from Iraq (thus their name - the Baghdad Batteries) and they date to a slightly later period than the temple with the "light bulbs."

As far as what they are, the answer is scroll storage vessels.

They are very similar to hundreds of other scroll vessels we've found. The difference is the other ones had scrolls in them (they are less ancient) so nobody could claim otherwise in a scheme to bilk the uninformed out of their hard-earned money.

To let you know, these vessels, as they were found, could not have been batteries. The opening in the top was sealed over with bitumen, which is like tar only harder. You have to open them up and make your own wire connections, then fill them with an electrolytic solution, like orange juice, to get a volt or so out of them.

A potato will give you greater voltage if you just jab two wires into it, so "battery" isn't very likely.

Regarding copper, it is thought that the ancients learned of the anti-fungal and other antiseptic properties of copper. The copper was f

 

[Poison Pen]

I respect your points of view.

This is because you already know that I know everything there is to know.

Why did the Egyptians use copper in the "vases"? Did it help support torches?

The "vases" weren't from Egypt.

They are from Iraq (thus their name - the Baghdad Batteries) and they date to a slightly later period than the temple with the "light bulbs."

As far as what they are, the answer is scroll storage vessels.

They are very similar to hundreds of other scroll vessels we've found. The difference is the other ones had scrolls in them (they are less ancient) so nobody could claim otherwise in a scheme to bilk the uninformed out of their hard-earned money.

To let you know, these vessels, as they were found, could not have been batteries. The opening in the top was sealed over with bitumen, which is like tar only harder. You have to open them up and make your own wire connections, then fill them with an electrolytic solution, like orange juice, to get a volt or so out of them.

A potato will give you greater voltage if you just jab two wires into it, so "battery" isn't very likely.

Regarding copper, it is thought that the ancients learned of the anti-fungal and other antiseptic properties of copper. The copper was f

Bingo! They're not from Egypt! How ya doing Harte?

 

[Chocomil]

it was a cheap trinket that "gods" gave the egyptians to awe them and impress, its a way of keeping them loyal, so when you see the pictures that they drew it was only them glorifying these things which they themselves could not produce. Ofcourse youre going to glorify and give power if youve never seen it.

 

[Orpheus Rex]

I would be willing to concede that maybe some ancient civilizations had some understanding of electricity, but even if they did it would not in the slightest mean that they needed aliens to give that technology to them. Could the Baghdad batteries actually be weak batteries? Yes, it is possible, but not the most likely answer.

If they did have weak electrical devices, they'd probably be religious in nature... like an object that can be brought out that sends slight electrical currents to your hands when you touch the top. It would be a way to "prove" the existence of their gods. It is known that quite a few religious groups created some pretty intricate stuff to validate the religion.