Nimrud Lens: Did Assyrians invent telescopes 3,000 years ago?
The telescope is on display in Case 9 of the Lower Mesopotamian Gallery in Room 55 of the British Museum. Nimrud lens’ existence proves one thing for sure: Galileo did not invent the first telescope.
A second lens, possibly dating to the fifth century BC, was discovered in a sacred cave on Mount Ida in Crete. It was of higher quality and more powerful than the Nimrud lens.
Pompeii, an ancient city near Naples, Italy, was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Pliny and Seneca, ancient Roman writers, describe a lens used by an engraver in Pompeii. To say, you could find a number of clues and evidence that suggest, telescopes were invented and used in many ancient civilizations long before Galelio.
The Assyrians were conquered by the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC, after which they adopted Persian culture and practices. The Assyrian people are believed to have been the first to study astronomy systematically as early as in the 7th century BC. They used their knowledge of geometry, arithmetic, and astrology – combined with a passion for observation – to build one of the greatest civilizations that ever existed.
Therefore, tools like Nimrud lens might be used by ancient Assyrians to observe stars and record information about them — an early example of what could be considered science rather than just superstition or magic.
According to some scholars, the ancient people of Assyria developed a unique lens for focusing light from distant objects so that it appears large enough to see clearly. The result was an optical device known as the “astronomical double grape stalk” or as we know it today: the world’s first telescope.
A second lens, possibly dating to the fifth century BC, was discovered in a sacred cave on Mount Ida in Crete. It was of higher quality and more powerful than the Nimrud lens.
Pompeii, an ancient city near Naples, Italy, was buried by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD 79. Pliny and Seneca, ancient Roman writers, describe a lens used by an engraver in Pompeii. To say, you could find a number of clues and evidence that suggest, telescopes were invented and used in many ancient civilizations long before Galelio.
The Assyrians were conquered by the Persian Empire in the 6th century BC, after which they adopted Persian culture and practices. The Assyrian people are believed to have been the first to study astronomy systematically as early as in the 7th century BC. They used their knowledge of geometry, arithmetic, and astrology – combined with a passion for observation – to build one of the greatest civilizations that ever existed.
Therefore, tools like Nimrud lens might be used by ancient Assyrians to observe stars and record information about them — an early example of what could be considered science rather than just superstition or magic.
According to some scholars, the ancient people of Assyria developed a unique lens for focusing light from distant objects so that it appears large enough to see clearly. The result was an optical device known as the “astronomical double grape stalk” or as we know it today: the world’s first telescope.
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12 August 2023
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