Egyptian pharaohs and their tombs have always attracted the attention of researchers and archaeologists from all over the world. Each new discovery in these ancient places reveals new mysteries and riddles that still remain unsolved. One such discovery was made by the famous Egyptologist Arne Eggebrecht, who discovered a bronze statue of the god Osiris covered with the thinnest layer of gold. This aroused the scientist’s interest, as the application of a gold layer on such an item was only possible with the help of electroplating.
Electroplating, or electroplating, is the process of producing layers of metals on the surface of articles by means of a direct electric current. However, this process requires a source of electricity. Based on this, we can conclude that the ancient Egyptians had devices that allowed them to generate electric current.
Evidence of ancient technology
Proof of this theory became artifacts found by archaeologists. During excavations, clay vessels were discovered, inside which there were copper cylinders with iron rods. The cylinders were bonded with an alloy of tin and zinc and were acid-etched on the outside. By their chemical and physical properties these artifacts resembled modern electric batteries. Scientists decided to conduct an experiment and poured similar vessels with a solution of copper sulfate. As a result, a current with a voltage of up to 0.6 volts was obtained. This proves that the ancient Egyptians had knowledge of the process of electroplating and were able to produce electric current even with primitive means.
Confirmation of ancient legends
One of the most amazing experiments was conducted by Eggebrecht himself. He created a replica of an ancient statuette and immersed it in a bath of gold solution. He then connected ten clay jars and connected them to the statuette. After a few hours, an even layer of gold appeared on the surface of the statuette. This experiment confirmed the words of ancient historians who described Cleopatra’s jewelry covered with the thinnest layer of gold and silver. It also gives reason to believe in the legends about the shining stone in the forehead of the statue of the goddess, which illuminated the entire temple, and about lamps that burn for several hundred years and do not require maintenance.
Ancient discoveries in China
Egyptian pharaohs were not the only ones who had knowledge of electricity. During the excavation of the tomb of the Chinese emperor Zhou Zhu, who lived in the III century AD, was discovered a strange metal ornament made of an alloy of copper, magnesium and aluminum. It turned out that 85% of the alloy was aluminum. Scientists were surprised by this discovery, as aluminum was obtained by electrolysis only in 1808. Consequently, Chinese metallurgists more than 1600 years ago had knowledge of the process of electrolysis and used it to produce aluminum. Jewelers made fine ornaments from alloys where aluminum was the base.
Baghdad Battery
Another amazing discovery was made in 1937 in Baghdad. Archaeologists discovered an ancient electric battery that was over 2,000 years old. It consisted of a clay vessel with an iron rod inside and a copper disk on top. When the vessel was filled with an acid solution and wires were connected to it, the battery produced an electric current. This discovery indicates that ancient civilizations had knowledge and technology that we consider modern.
The mysteries of ancient Egypt and China give us an opportunity to look into the past and think about what else this ancient civilization hides from us. Maybe by solving the next riddle, we can get closer to some knowledge that remains inaccessible to us and that will change our understanding of the universe.
