The Assyrian Nimrud Lens
The Nimrud lens, a 3,000-year-old rock crystal discovered in 1850 at the Assyrian palace of Nimrud, is a fascinating ancient artifact. Roughly oval and with a focal length of 12 cm, it functions as a 3× magnifying glass, though its exact use is debated. Some believe it was a magnifying glass or burning-glass, while Italian scholar Giovanni Pettinato proposed it could have been part of an early telescope. This challenges the conventional belief that the telescope was invented by Hans Lippershey in 1608, suggesting that ancient civilizations may have had advanced knowledge of astronomy.