Ancient people invented batteries 2,000 years ago.

The Baghdad battery, made 2,000 years ago, was capable of generating a current greater than one volt.

Illustration of the Baghdad battery from the museum's artifact gallery. Photo: Wikimedia Commons

Oopart (out of place artifact) is a term used to describe prehistoric objects discovered in various parts of the world, and which have a level of technology far beyond the time when they were created. Ooparts often cause scientists to struggle to find new theories to explain them, and at the same time, they spark many debates.

In 1938, German archaeologist Wilhelm Konig found artifacts called Baghdad batteries, outside the capital Baghdad, Iraq. Models of the Baghdad battery can produce a current greater than one volt. This shows that the technology to create electricity has existed for thousands of years, while we think that only modern humans have the technology to make batteries.

Many skeptics often try to explain the appearance of ooparts as natural phenomena. However, the Baghdad battery is clearly man-made and capable of generating electricity. Of course, its true purpose 2,000 years ago remains a mystery to humanity today.

"This type of battery always attracts attention like a rare antique. They were only made once. As far as we know, no one else has found anything like this. It is a strange object, a mystery of life," BBC quoted Paul Craddock, a metallurgy expert at the British Museum, as saying.

The Baghdad battery has a fairly simple structure with an outer shell made of baked clay, and a battery cap made of asphalt. An iron rod is inserted through the cap, located in a copper tube. The battery is then filled with vinegar, wine, or some other acidic substance. These act as an electrolyte solution, helping the battery generate electricity.

Smith College in Massachusetts has recreated the device. A post on the school's website says: "There is no documentation describing the exact use of the jar, but the best guess is that it was a type of battery. Scientists believe that the batteries were used for electroplating objects, by coating one metal (gold) on top of another (silver), a method that still exists in Iraq today."

According to VnExpress