The Nimrud lens is a 3000 year old piece of rock crystal, which was unearthed by Austen Henry Layard at the palace of Nimrud in what is now Iraq (originally in Assyria). Quartz (from German) is the most abundant Mineral in the Earth 's Continental crust (although Feldspar is more common in The Right Honourable Sir Austen Henry Layard (ˈɔːstɪn ˈhɛnriː lɛəd 5 March, 1817 – 5 July, 1894) was a Nimrud is an ancient Assyrian city located south of Nineveh on the river Tigris. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Iraq topics. Early history The most Neolithic site in Assyria is at Tell Hassuna, the center of the Hassuna culture [1] It may have been used as a magnifying glass, or as a burning-glass to start fires by concentrating sunlight. magnifying glass (called a hand lens in laboratory contexts is a convex lens which is used to produce a magnified Image of an object A burning-glass is a large convex lens that can concentrate the Sun 's rays onto a small area heating up the area and thus resulting in ignition of the Assyrian craftsmen made intricate engravings, and could have used such a lens in their work. A lens is an optical device with perfect or approximate Axial symmetry which transmits and refracts Light, converging or diverging [1]
Italian scientist Giovanni Pettinato of the University of Rome has proposed that the lens was used as part of a telescope by the ancient Assyrians. An optical telescope is a Telescope which is used to gather and focus light mainly from the visible part of the Electromagnetic spectrum The Assyrians are an Ethnic group whose origins lie in what is today Iraq, Iran, Turkey and Syria. [1] This would explain why the ancient Assyrians knew so much about astronomy. Astronomy (from the Greek words astron (ἄστρον "star" and nomos (νόμος "law" is the scientific study Experts on Assyrian archaeology are unconvinced, and doubt that the optical quality of the lens is sufficient to be of much use. Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos The ancient Assyrians saw the planet Saturn as a god surrounded by a ring of serpents, which Pettinato suggests was their interpretation of Saturn's rings as seen through a telescope. [2] Other experts say that serpents occur frequently in Assyrian mythology, and note that there is no mention of a telescope in any of the many surviving Assyrian astronomical writings. [1]
The Nimrud lens is on display in the British Museum. The British Museum is a Museum of human history and culture in London.
See also
References
- ^ a b c d Whitehouse, David. The Visby lenses are a collection of lens -shaped manufactured objects made of Rock crystal (quartz found in a Viking grave in Gotland dating "World's oldest telescope?", BBC News, 1999-07-01. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) "July 1st" redirects here For the Ayumi Hamasaki song see H (song. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. "If one Italian scientist is correct then the telescope was not invented sometime in the 16th century by Dutch spectacle makers, but by ancient Assyrian astronomers nearly three thousand years earlier. According to Professor Giovanni Pettinato of the University of Rome, a rock crystal lens, currently on show in the British museum, could rewrite the history of science. He believes that it could explain why the ancient Assyrians knew so much about astronomy. "
- ^ "World's oldest telescope?", EXN Science Wire, 1999-06-29. Year 1999 ( MCMXCIX) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display full 1999 Gregorian calendar) Events 512 - A Solar eclipse is recorded by a monastic chronicler in Ireland. Retrieved on 2008-05-10. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1291 - Scottish Nobles recognize the authority of Edward I of England. "Pettinato believes the lens was used by Assyrian astronomers as a telescope more than three thousand years ago. They saw more in the night sky than was possible with the naked eye alone. For example, the Assyrians saw the planet Saturn as a god surrounded by a ring of serpents. Pettinato says that would be a logical assumption to make if they saw Saturn's rings through a primitive telescope. "
External links
- Oldest Optical Device? The Nimrud Lens
- D. Brewster (1852). "On an account of a rock-crystal lens and decomposed glass found in Niniveh" (in German). Die Fortschritte der Physik. Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft.
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