Nimrud Lens - Atlas Obscura
Places near me Random place

Nimrud Lens

British Museum
London, England

Despite the name, this ancient piece of crystal may not have been a lens at all. 

View all photos
Nimrud Lens The Trustees of the British Museum (Creative Commons)
Nimrud Lens The Trustees of the British Museum (Creative Commons)
Nimrud Lens The Trustees of the British Museum (Creative Commons)
The Nimrud Lens in the British Museum. Geni (Creative Commons)
33
49
Top Places in London
Outside the Great Ormond Street Hospital.
Great Ormond Street Hospital
London, England
Monument to Hodge the Cat
London, England
Circus Space
London, England
 See All

Discovered in 1850 by English archaeologist Austen Henry Layard at the ancient Assyrian palace of Nimrud, in modern-day Iraq, the Nimrud Lens is a curious piece of rock crystal dating back to the late 8th century B.C.

Roughly ground into a slightly oval shape, its size is 38 millimeters in diameter and has a focal point and length equivalent to a 3× magnifying glass. Its function is unclear, and it could have been a magnifying glass or a burning glass, a tool used to start fires by concentrating sunlight. As the Assyrian artifacts often were intricately engraved, Layard suggested that the lens may have been used as a magnifying lens to read these small inscriptions.

Italian scientist Giovanni Pettinato proposed that the Assyrians used the lens as part of their telescope, which would explain the extensive knowledge of astronomy in the Babylonian civilization. Some people believe that it was the earliest optical lens in history, perhaps an obscure out-of-place artifact.

The general idea of its identity seems to be much less fascinating, though. Many researchers believe that it was just a piece of decorative inlay, which got its lenticular abilities purely by accident. Whichever story you buy, the artifact sits on display at the British Museum today in quite a mysterious manner.

Update: The object is no longer on display at British Museum.

optical oddities glass artifacts archaeology history & culture
Nearby
Shield of Parade
0.00 miles
Wolf-God of Woodeaton
0.00 miles
Mold Gold Cape
0.00 miles
Want to see fewer ads? Become a Member.
Near This Place
London, England

Shield of Parade

This magnificently macabre shield shows the power of chivalrous love in medieval times.
The Woodeaton wolf-god.
London, England

Wolf-God of Woodeaton

A gruesome and mysterious ancient sculpture of a pagan deity from the Roman occupation of Celtic Britain.
The cape.
London, England

Mold Gold Cape

This intriguing Bronze Age artifact spent centuries hidden within a Welsh faerie hill.
Some of the Lewis Chessmen.
London, England

The Lewis Chessmen

These mysterious Viking chess pieces spent centuries hidden on a remote Scottish island.
Related Places
Malton, England

Jet Bear

This small figurine of a bear tells us a lot about the value of jewels and funerary practices in Roman Britannia.
Brun, Pakistan

Kalasha Dur Museum

The rich cultural heritage of the Kalasha people is on display in this state-of-the-art museum.
Aiolou Street Excavation Site
Athens, Greece

Aiolou Street Excavation Site

An ancient site that has revealed incredible artifacts including portions of the Themistoclean Wall.
Takia, Oman

'What Is It?'

This mysterious anthropomorphic statuette is on display at the National Museum of Oman.
In partnership with KAYAK

Plan Your Trip

From Around the Web