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Originally Posted by Cynthetiq
there is plenty of belief that the Ark of the Covenant was a large capacitor or battery.
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I remember reading about this. If I remember correctly, the most likely reason for the Ark of the Covenant to have an electrical charge is so that when people touched it they would feel as if they have experienced something mystical, perhaps touched God himself.
Anyways, possible uses for the Baghdad Battery? Electroplating is possible, though I think it is unlikely. At the time the batteries were created, Gilding was typically done either via hammer or with a mercury solution. Electroplating is much, much easier and wastes far less precious metal, so I can't imagine it would have been discovered and then so quickly forgotten.
I vaguely remember a Television show that did a special about these batteries, and it implied that they may have possibly been used in acupuncture. If I remember correctly, there were needles found with or near the batteries, which supports this theory.
And of course, the Baghdad battery could also have been used to induce a "mystical" experience if it was hooked up to a statue or idol.
Actually, I don't know a whole lot about electricity, but given the right materials, could the battery have possibly been used to start a fire? If wires were crossed and held to papyrus soaked in oil or something?