2024-02-17 16:32:50
The Baghdad Batteries
In 1938, beneath the dust of the ruins of the ancient city of Ctesiphon near Baghdad, Iraq, German archaeologist Wilhelm König found 14-centimeter-high, vase-shaped clay containers containing cylinders of copper and plates of hierro inside, according to an article in the popular magazine Galaxy Science Fiction.
Likewise, it is stated that the vessels, which date from between 250 BC. C. and 224 AD. C.—epochs of ancient Mesopotamia—showed signs of degradation, possibly caused by storing some acidic liquid. These details made König suspect that he had discovered an ancient battery.
The Baghdad batteries left in the ruins were destroyed during the war in Iraq. Photo: Mj2 artisans
It should be remembered that common batteries work through a chemical reaction that converts a substance with electrodes into electrical energy, according to Battery University. Among the most used batteries today that contain liquid inside are rechargeable lithium ion batteries and also nickel-cadmium batteries.
So, what König did was carry out tests to check if the device could function as an object capable of generating electricity.
How did the Baghdad batteries work?
Following the experiments of their discoverer, it was believed that the Baghdad batteries worked from a voltage difference generated by the vertical iron bar and the copper cylinder inside, after filling the bottle with an electrolyte liquid such as vinegar. or grape juice, according to an article from the University of Houston.
A decade after the discovery, an engineer from the General Electric company replicated the jars, filled them with vinegar and managed to measure that it could produce 2 volts, but its current was quite small, so it ended up generating a quarter of the electricity of a battery. triple A (these batteries give off 1.5 V), indicates the publication.
Therefore, the debate about the possibility of it being the oldest battery in the world remains, but there is no doubt that it is a mysterious object. “As far as we know, no one has found anything like it. “They are unique, they are one of the enigmas of life,” Paul Craddock, an expert in metallurgy of the ancient Middle East, told the BBC about the Baghdad batteries.
What were the Baghdad batteries used for?
An idea that circulated during the time of the discovery of the supposed batteries was that the Egyptians used them to power electric lights while building their pyramids. The idea, according to the aforementioned UH article, was widely disseminated despite the fact that these historic constructions date back two thousand years.
Drawings are found in the temple of Hathor that appear to represent the Baghdad battery. Photo: R. Habeck
Another theory suggests that the Baghdad batteries were used as devices to store energy, to later be applied in metallurgy processes. To test this, a researcher dipped a silver figure into a replica of the vessel filled with vinegar and it turned gold.
Likewise, there are other theories that do not include the possible generation of electricity: one of them is that the artifacts have been used in religious rituals, specific ceremonies. Another idea considers that the containers could have been used as containers for papyrus or parchment rolls.
Source: La República Peru.com