The Hall of Enigmas
There are many objects in our collections which have not been properly identified.
Our staff are all experts in their fields, but despite years of experience, some objects still defy identification or classification. The Hall of Enigmas features some of the more outstanding unidentified objects in our collection.
The Baghdad Battery
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In 1938 an unassuming clay pot in the National Museum of Iraq in Baghdad was found to house a secret inside. The iron core and copper sleeve would have allowed it to store an electrical charge of approximately 1.1 volts. Although there is no solid evidence of what such batteries might have been used for, it is suggested they may have been used for electroplating. Electrical engineers also siggest that so-called "Snake Stones" from an Egyptian temple sugget lights that wouldhave needed an electrical source.
The Antikythera Device
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Discovered in a shipwreck off the Greek island of Antikythera in 1901, this collection of fused bronze gears and wood was originally thought to be a mechanical clock or astrolabe. Its function and complexity were not fully understood until it was examined with x-rays in 1974 when it was determined that the complex gearing could be used to track the rotation of the planets around the Earth (according to Ancient Greek understandings of Astronomy).
The shipwreck has since been dated to the first century BC.
The device is currently housed in the National Archaeological Museum, Athens.
The Phaistos Disc
This disk of fired clay from the Minoan palace of Phaistos on the Greek island of Crete, possibly dating to the middle or late Minoan Bronze Age (2nd millennium BC). It is about 15 cm (5.9 in) in diameter and covered on both sides with a spiral of stamped symbols. Its purpose and meaning, and even its original geographical place of manufacture, remain disputed, making it one of the most famous mysteries of archaeology. This unique object is now on display at the archaeological museum of Heraklion.The disc was discovered in 1908 by the Italian archaeologist Luigi Pernier in the Minoan palace-site of Phaistos, and features 241 tokens, comprising 45 unique signs, which were apparently made by pressing hieroglyphic "seals" into a disc of soft clay, in a clockwise sequence spiraling toward the disc's center.The Phaistos Disc captured the imagination of amateur and professional archeologists, and many attempts have been made to decipher the code behind the disc's signs. While it is not clear that it is a script, most attempted decipherments assume that it is; most additionally assume a syllabary, others an alphabet or logography. Attempts at decipherment are generally thought to be unlikely to succeed unless more examples of the signs are found, as it is generally agreed that there is not enough context available for a meaningful analysis.Although the Phaistos Disc is generally accepted as authentic by archaeologists, a few scholars believe that the disc is a forgery or a hoax.It is housed in the Heraklion Archaeological Museum in Crete.
