The Baghdad Battery? Archaeologist Reacts! 

A perfect example of "youtube peer review". Correction and expansions done in good faith and with good humor. Thank you so much for doing this

It should be noted that a potato can also function as a battery. The ability to function as a battery is not an indication that it was used as one at all.

This is a really good breakdown- it does suck how quickly the original primary sources can get buried, especially by Conspiracy theories that grasps at straws based of either nothing or very outdated information. It would be super cool if one day you and Milo did a collaboration on a Awful Archeology episode. I think it would be super insightful. ^^

Milo did a reaction of your reaction and he was actually super appreciative of your criticisms. Also he agrees with your ritual explanation as you had sources and information he couldn't locate or access. I'd love to see you react to his reaction. He has a great deal of respect for your additions to his work.

This is the exact kind of reaction content I like. Expanding apon the original video's statement, giving more context to the situation at hand and correcting the things the original video got wrong. I just found you today but this content's really interesting. Keep it up!

Love this content! I'm a fan of miniminuteman so its always a rare treat to see his points being expanded on from a more advanced point of view! Subscribed :D

I really hope you two get an opportunity to possibly collaborate on something. The combo of milo's youthful quirky "cool substitute teacher" vibes plus your soft spoken but thoughtful experience would make for some compelling and respectfully jovial back and forth.

May I say that I love the way Dr Hafford and Milo go back and forth on this, neither being rude about it, both just interested in giving us, the audience, the correct information. This is what every Internet argument should be like. Civilized, kind, compassionate, lead by expertise and attempting to get to the facts beneath the opinions.

Came here because Milo just did a video talking about how cool it was to have you respond to his content. People expanding the knowledge of others' knowledge is what powers the world

When you said "putting in small slips of paper", I immediately said "oh, for prayer". Human beings have been stuffing small slips of paper with prayers & spells on them into random ass places for a very, very long time. I mean people are *still* doing it all over the world - most notably at the wailing wall in Jerusalem.

I have to say I really love the idea of future archaeologists finding a pair of giant golden scissors and conspiracy theorists trying to prove there were giants living in our time with an affinity for golden tools.

If I remember correctly from a German article from a decade or so ago the whole battery-idea came to be because König found a piece of sassanian jewellry he believed to have been electro-plated and then went on to collect several more. We now know they were not, just really high end craftmansship, but it explains his reasoning since the leap to "ancient electricity" is a lot shorter if you already have something in hand you are convinced has been made with electricity.

As a Historian, even I will say Archaeology from it's earliest days to the 1960's was 70% grave robbing. It wasn't until the 1960s and '70s that professional archaeologists established comprehensive ethical guidelines that brought a "stop" to that.. and by stop I mean slowed down as it still happens to this day.

I really appreciate content like this, and it's really helpful for closing the gap between entertainment and information in a limited medium like an internet video. I love Milo, love his content, but there's necessarily going to be some simplifications and errors that slip through when one's making humorous content, and having this kind of clarification is great for making sure those don't become tripping hazards. A great series that does this is Extra History (who I absolutely don't need to shill for, but I will) where they'll have a "Lies" episode after every miniseries that covers those same inconsistencies and errors.

Wow, I love this content. You really expand on Milo’s video and clarify and correct with all your sources. So great

This video shows how incredibly hard it is to say things that are right. The basic facts surrounding this discovery are obscured and would not be easy to fact-check.

The second part of the "we don't really know, well it's likely for ritual" joke is also "that other thing? Yeah, we know exactly what it is, but we'll say it's for a fertility goddess"

Thank you for this - It was really cool! And no, you didn't come across as critical of Milo at all. I'm a huge fan of Miniminuteman, and he is just what archaeology needs - young, enthusiastic, good looking, and irreverent. Everything the cliched image of archaeologists is not. I'm happy to accept the odd slip, particularly when , as you say, the surface information is so misleading or muddy... I will certainly be checking out your other videos! Thank you.

The fact that an upturned bowl used to catch malicious spirits gives me the mental image of treating de.ons the same way one does a spider when using a plastic cup to get it out of the house

Milo reacted to this react video. He was quite giddy to have such a qualified expert reacting to and correcting his content. Was great to see

Fascinating! I’m into “occult” stuff and the instant you said the jars were pinned in place, I “knew” those jars were used for magic. And the contents you listed with their variations? That, to me, makes it a pretty solid case for magic; a literal jar spell. Cuz, I mean, 10 nails hanging out in there? Nails are still used in groups like that in jar spells (though 9 or 13 is more common these days). Papyrus remains? Various chunks of metals? Pretty sure anyone familiar with folk magic practices would agree with you, sir. I agree. Those jars were used with magical intent.

Also, Dan Carlin from Hardcore History made a great point in his Kings of Kings podcast series when he said that we have to understand that there are some actions that historical people took because they honestly, truly, completely believed that magic was real. Ironically, a lot of times the Ancient Aliens crowd will forget the mystical as an explanation, forget that even they have the benefit of hindsight. If in 3000 years someone starts theorizing that there must have been an epidemic of slug-like alien beings following us around, hence why we threw so much salt over our shoulders, it'd serve us right.

So what you're saying is that it was A MAGIC BATTERY?!?!?! Seriously, though, it was really interesting to hear such a detailed and informed opinion on such a contentious artefact. It's also fantastic that international experts are again able to assist the Iraqi people in preserving their cultural heritage after decades of suffering in isolation.

I just watched a video of Milo's where he said he would be graduating from college soon, which I only point out because not only is the information about this find so muddied to being with, but also because it's important for people to understand, as an undergrad, AT BEST he's got access to his school's JSTOR/Academic search account, at WORST he's just going by internet resources. I say this to emphasize how much I appreciate this video because it adds so much to the original analysis, without attempting to shame it, but by using privileged access to information to add to it.

I appreciate that you even reacted to the drink.. You may be a bit more thorough than Milo but apparently his bar is better stocked. Great video. As someone who grew up reading schlock archaeology I appreciate the reintroduction of critical thinking. So-called harmless conspiracy theories leads to greater susceptibility to those that have real world impact in the present.

I love how 2 informed adults converse like adults in a civil manner. You got a sub from me.

This is absolutely what I had hoped for. He has 5 other episodes. Please Please please, continue this debate content. Milo is fun and hilarious.. you sir, are well versed, continually learning, experienced, and and willing to accept more theory can be possible.

Came here from milos video, i love this wholesome interaction from one archeologist to another, and neither taking criticisms or disagreements personally. We need more of that in this world’

I think this really enphasises the necessity of a diverse discussion as it shows even the weirdest ideas can be used to test the more pragmatic ones and vice versa.

Dr Hafford,....i am here by way of Milo's channel and look forward to learning from you. As a near 60 year old man I live by few rules but one of them at the top of the list is simply to never stop learning new things.

Amazing video. I've recently discovered Milo's videos and really appreciate other looks into the same subject as anyone can miss something. Loved the reaction, I think this was great additive content to Milo's work and I hope you do more on any other videos he posts that you have information on.

Great to see actual scholarly discourse where the ideas are being built upon/clarified/corrected, rather than attacked. Rare on RU-vid, thanks for this!

Came here from Milo's video and I just want to say Im really grateful for your expertise and the amount of time you spent on his video. I think Milo is gonna be great someday, and Im really glad you did this with his video. Thanks for your time Doc. You definitely deserve the like, view, comment, and subscription. Thanks for your expertise!

Just watched Milo's response video ('BaghdadBattery') to this video, and after I finished his video, I immediately came here to subscribe and like. Of course this channel, of which I had been unaware, is a real treat. Thank you, Doctor.

I hope Milo finds this video and brings it to the attention of the rest of his viewers. This was a very good analysis, and I appreciate your work on investigating the matter.

i appreciate the additional context, commentary, and correcting incorrect information. regarding your criticisms of milo's presentation style, jokes, and references... keep in mind he is communicating to an audience who's primary understanding of archaeology is from pop culture and outdated science from their early education. he is both trying to correct misconceptions, debunk conspiracy theories, and convey what most people consider to be a very dry and complex topic in an engaging way. it might not be as exacting as academic-to-academic communication, but it is just as valuable to communicate in a way that doesn't isolate the laypeople who wish to learn more. jokes, memes, and pop culture references are excellent tools for keeping your audience attentive and engaged.

Milo did a react video of sorts to this, really think you might enjoy the takes he had about what you said if you haven't had it pop up already. Enjoyed both videos and the react was the cherry on top as of now until further possible developments 🙏

Love that you did this, such respectful and knowledgeable discourse is a pleasure to see.

Found you from minuteman and he made a fantastic reaction to this video. Im a fan, im a stan, im so in love with your videos and hope you get nore traction. Thank you for teaching us and also being just a kind fun fellow. Adored, subbed, and going to binge all your videos soon

Gave this a watch after Milo reacted to it. Good to see work getting checked and no one being upset by it^_^

Absolutely loved it! As an archaeology student myself, I love to consume such informative and constructive back-and-forth conversations. Plus, deconstructing conspiracy theories is very entertaining to watch and engage in, so I always love to see the topic gaining some traction in the archaeological community. Thank you and cheers!

I sub to miniminuteman and that's how I saw your video. You did a great job delivering criticism in a way that allows us to learn. It would be great to see a collab between you and Milo. I hope you continue bringing archeology to us lay people.

The scissor comparison was incredibly insightful

Hey, I'm here because of Milo, Miniminuteman, who freaking LOVED this video! He just reacted to this (which was how I ended up here), and was so full of happiness, because he was learning so much more than he knew, before. Oh, and because you made a drink, and know and HAVE one of his favorite books, too! And how there was a top quality doctor of Archaeology like you that I wasn't aware of? I am so happy to have found you! I've been a follower of others here for awhile, now (Dr. Miano, for an example), but I always like finding more experts to learn from! So... here's a like and comment for your Almighty Algorithm, and a brand new sub, too!

Best breakdown on this subject I have ever seen.

I love that context of artefacts has become so important, not only to archaeologists but to museums as well. I remember as a kid walking around the museums of Gothenburg (and there are MANY), looking at all the things, but they were all just items encased in glass or behind ribbon barriers. You got the look of the artefact, you got the smell of it in many cases (wherever the preservatives weren't too overpowering), but you never got any real context. Looking at even the smaller single-room museums today, they group artefacts together by where they were found, add backdrops to try and estimate how it may have looked and sometimes even add a splash of dirt, sand or rock at the bottom to give you that tiny extra immersion into the experience, and this makes it overly obvious what that artefact is and what it was used for. Context is key, always!

It's so cool to see that Milo still has a lot of room for improvement in his research. I'd love to see him go back and address the inaccuracies in his vid to avoid unintentional missinformation

Fascinating! When I first read of the "Bagdad Batteries", my mind went immediately to an old custom brought to the area of Canada in which I live of "Witch Jars". They are still found buried around entrances, used to protect buildings from evil - often simple earthenware jars containing written spells, and iron nails, sealed shut with wax. Mankind still has rituals for protection, and as advanced as we would like to believe we are, we are not so different from our ancestors. Very enjoyable video!

Got to love the dedication, he even tried the mix drink on top of tracking down obscure German documents form the sixties. New sub, hope to see more.

Years ago I started the Hall of Ma'at website and message board. The site hosts articles written for the site and some republished articles that debunk conspiracy theories. We had a German armchair archaeologist who had dug up and read the original German article on the jars, he told us from what he read the jar were blessing jars. It sounds like he had things on the right track. Thank you

I don't know the book he os referring to, but as an outsider, I took Milo's objection to "ritual use" to be two things: 1: depending on your definition, couldn't any behaviour that is not purely biological (or at least in some way related to culture and thus see above) be categorised as 'ritual'? I know there is a strict definition, but academics trying to prove a point are prone to stretching definitions. And 2 (as an extension of 1): it may often be valid, that doesn't mean it isn't used as a copout. In biology you see "genotypic and/or fenotypic variation", in ecology we use "confounding environmental variables" or "intraspecific variation". To outsiders there's no context for 'ritual behaviour', so I thought his irk was ultimately that it is a statement that is shutting a door, giving the impression that there is no interest in ritual, opening the first crack for the crackpots.

I love the fact that in the day or so since you made this video, your subs have about tripled. This is exactly educational RU-vid at it's finest. Flashy, snarky generalists cast a wide net, and make fairly well researched videos that are far better than a random person could ever research. Then a specialist critiques the generalist's video, and the generalist signal boosts the specialist's response, allowing the portion of their viewership interested in the specialty find the specialist's other content and learn more.

Archeologists saying something is ceremonial, to me, is like when historians say that something's a ritual/ritualistic when they're "not quite sure that it is but could be I guess". I find that funny, I don't know how much of a joke that is vs reality but it sounds about right

Just saw Milo react to your reaction. This stuff is great. Would love to see you react to more of his stuff or even collaborate with him.

Well, as far as I'm aware whatever it was this supposed battery was used for, is never mentioned in any contemporary texts. Add to that there was found only one, without context and the fact that the amount of electricity that it would have been able to produce, if it was indeed used for that, was too minute to be of any practical use, and it becomes an extra-ordinary claim without any of the extra-ordinary evidence that is required for such a claim.

Just watched his “reaction” to this video and it’s great! Job well done to the both of you!

Thank you Brad for taking the time to carefully research, refute claims and explain the context of these fascinating artifacts. Great job!

Milo did a great video reacting to your response. I love the discourse and you're not being harsh. You're a professor, this is what you do. Context is important in anything, I immediately think of mushrooms, and being in mushroom forage groups. Without a picture of the mushroom in its environment, it's hard to tell a person what it is. We call it context. The witchcraft makes sense. Northern Europe pagans and heathens were doing the same thing which you do bring up at the end. I hope people are watching the end because it's the most important part of the video. I would hope if there are 10 scrolls in a jar, we hope they're blessings haha...

This is such an interesting video because I've watched Milo since the beginning, and it's so cool to see someone else in the field giving their 2 cents; showing that not all archeologists think or feel the same about things. So glad your content was recommended to me! P.S. - Didn't realize how much Milo got incorrect :') Thank you for enlightening everyone !

I love that miniminuteman reacts to the reaction of himself. It's so godamn wholesome

I love how this video covers academic sources that are not in English and/or not online. Sadly, much "research" these days is limited to Google results. As a career librarian, I am always encouraging people to explore sources that have not been digitized (and that never will be).

Milo just did a response to this video. He was very appreciative about all the extra information you gave him.

great video, I love the deeper discussion of the archaeological find and context. Good reminder that research is difficult and can be misleading if you rush it. Will be looking into your channel more!

Milo sent me here like many others I see as well. I'd just like to state that this has been a very insightful, informative and entertaining discussion. I've thoroughly enjoyed all three of these between the two of you and ultimately I'd love to see the two of you in face to face discussion. There's nothing like listening to a really good, respectful intellectual back and forth. Would love to see it one day. And thank you for all you do as well, so much respect for people out there providing their knowledge to the rest of us that are willing to hear it.

Thank you for making this! It's absolutely fascinating and I'm glad to see that the original video is mostly accurate. Still immensely cool to see further explanations and corrections from you!

Thank you for such a clear and logical explanation. I've read about these things for years, and this is the first time I've heard anything approaching the full story.

I'm here from Miniminuteman, I'm now a subscriber to your channel.

Here from Milo’s reaction to this video 😅 You’re an amazing reactionary scholar. I’m impressed and excited to see the rest of the videos on this channel. 👏

Coming over from Milo! Have a sub. You rock, thanks for reacting to his video and giving us more information. Will we get a react of the react of the react? :p

milo sent me, and i’m glad for both of you. scientists rock

Great video, good counter arguments and good digging. I agree that publications in other languages than english are often overlooked. Another subscriber here!

I think this video is a great example of the importance of academia! Having people who are able to dig through these old documents to piece together the story of an artifact that has been so covered by conspiracies is a gift to everyone. Milo's video does a great job at debunking the conspiracy, and your video does a great job of illuminating more about the artifact itself!

I like the theory that it was like a "time capsule" without necessarily being found by mortal humans for the historical record. Mummification of messages or records for whatever purpose. The intention of tombs and the mummification of bodies is obviously to preserve them for as long as possible... so my guess is that by sealing papyrus/copper in a ceramic jar with a bitumen plug was to preserve some message or meaning for as long as possible. Whether it's for ritual magic or just the human desire to have a part of you exist longer than you do... Or yes, perhaps just to be found by other people later and have them know you existed. I personally think about this I can make and bury to communicate with future people.

Ey! Here from Milo's channel! Still algorithmically surviving on RU-vid! Glad that he reacted to this video, so I may learn even more than just standing in Baghdad...... in Assassin's Creed: Mirage and /trust/ what the team tending to the process of developing the game added as archeological and historical detailing of the Abbasid period Baghdad.

Have not finished the video yet, but this content and I LOVE that you addressed that even you said some stuff later proven to be wrong. to me “criticizing” your own previous beliefs/statements shows a committment to actually voicing the truths of the past

Ya I'm here from Milo too lol I'm glad this channel is getting some eyes on it and it's awesome to already see some major subscriber growth. I've checked out a few vids already and was very entertained so I'll def be sticking around!

This is an awesome video. This is how all reaction videos should be. Considered responses with clear citations. I love the bowls that you mentioned. For anyone who's interested in learning more about those, I highly recommend the Secret History of Western Esotericism Podcast, Episodes 146 & 147. The host interviews Gideon Bohak and Daniel James Waller on how those bowls were used in a Jewish context in Roman/Sassanian Mesopotamia.

Came here because Milo reacted to your react video! Love it, thank you

Excellent video, probably one of the most detailed an accessible resources for the subject for people (I'm people) who have just skimmed the subject and watched Milo's video and moved on. I've wishy washied on the subject several times through the years and a past version of me feels vindicated by the likelihood the iron rod just had papyrus around it. You provide a lot of context that gets left out of the broader discussion that really neatly ties up a lot of the mystery. And honestly, I think the spell jar explanation is more interesting. Assuming it was a battery, it would have just been a one off discovery that faded away, a little cool, but for me personally way less cool than a long lasting living magical tradition I feel like there's some expertise brain poisoning (which sounds very harsh so just to be clear I'm not meaning it in a mean way, it's just the only way of phrasing that's coming to my brain right now) from Milo. There's a lot of noise on the subject from the conspiracy end of things where if you're mostly engaging with that side of the discussion there are some things you will just accidentally eat from the conspiracy theorists because it sounds like the plausible truth under all the nonsense, hence the acid claim and conflation of the two different sets of jars being stated seemingly without hunting down the original sources on those matters. I think a much less impactful, but similar, thing kinda happen with you towards the beginning of the video when you talk about other sites from the city that are more well known than the battery, and I'm sorry to say because those other sites don't really seem have the broader reach as the sensationalism around the battery. They're very interesting sites, after I type this I'm probably going to go look up the archway, but I think I can name drop the battery and have people know what I'm talking more readily. Those sites are probably more well known within purely archaeological circles, but I, personally at least, have never heard of them while also hearing about the baghdad battery many, many times over the years from a variety of sources and angles.

I’m so glad you took the time to respond to Milo! I was grinning nearly as much as him while watching!!

The ritual idea feeling both like a slight cop out but also the best explanation given the evidence, reminds of how in paleontology, specifically concerning the non-avian dinosaurs, the best explanation for a lot of the strangest features you may find that don't have an obvious use is likely some kind of display structure to, in some way, be appealing to mates. that explanation even applies to things that may have other uses, like horns or a hollow crest connected to the animals naris(nose/nasal stuff). but like rituals its not something usually shown in the objects itself, and is *TECHNICALLY* an assumption based on other factors, or at least that's how it can be perceived, hence the cop out feeling of "you're just saying that cause you don't know for sure what it is or what it did". Rituals and mating displays are both things that are behavioral, and Its really rare to get an artifact or fossil that explicitly shows the exact behaviors of ancient people or especially animals. but even with that said, we do know about them and in time learn more.

I came here from Milo's video. It;s really neat to see your clarifications and additional information. That end ritual example was well done too, nice work!

If you haven't heard yet Milo reacted to this video

Another subscriber coming from Milo's direction, can't wait to see more content of you two, and your own videos as well. Your explanations were clear, to the point, and very engaging, so I really think that I'll enjoy the content of yours :)

My question would be this: if it's a ritual, why were so few discovered? I understand that it shouldn't be as ubiquitous as oil lamps, but supposedly this ritual wasn't just the realm of one sect, as shown by the differences between the two sets. I suppose I would expect there to be more evidence above and beyond 10 examples if it was an established ritual, but maybe my intuition is ill-founded.

You did a great job of presenting contrary evidence without sounding condescending or belittling anybody. Nobody has all the answers themselves, so hopefully a little back and forth just expands the collective knowledge base. Happy to hit that subscribe button. Cheers 🍻

Interesting critique. Thanks for expanding on Milo's video. Enjoyed the folklore/ritual explanation Raising a glass and imbibing is my favourite kind of ritual! lol

I'm very glad you did this video, and in return miniminuteman did a reaction to it because that's how I learned about your channel. I'm currently binging your past videos and looking forward to what you produce in the future.

Respectfully, a lot of chicanery has made its way into academic papers in the past. It strikes me as a particularly charitable position to take to assume that a researcher whose livelihood and career depend on their findings being publishable would never or couldn’t possibly (perhaps without any nefarious reason) slip in some possible explanations such as “ritual purposes” when they’re really not sure what a find means. Archaeologists are only human, after all. That’s not to say, as you point out, that “it’s ritual” can never be a genuine suggestion as supported by evidence, but the converse - that it’s always supported and no one in the history of archaeology has ever used it as a hail-mary explanation - is equally unbelievable.

Came here from Milos channel, and am now a subscriber. Love your content already, and I think videos like this are brilliant - professionals holding other professionals accountable while providing facts from their wealth of knowledge.

If it was a battery, it was absolutely used by either a jeweler or weaponsmith (for electroplating or etching)

Came here after seeing Milo's reaction to your reaction. Your delivery was so impressive I just had to come here and subscribe.

I actually never heard of what the jars might have actually been used for. That you bring up their use in mysticism, it reminds me of of some somewhat similar practices that (if I remember right, I think I first heard of this like 20 years ago) were done in medieval europe; materials or prayers/spells written down and placed in glass flasks or small pots and imbedded within the walls of a house to protect against witchcraft, or something similar that.

I think the most important thing I gleamed from this video is how important having all information available and easily accessible is, you could be researching for hours upon hours in any topic but there still be major details you miss. either due to how far you need to dig or being in a language you can't read, even just plain old missing it by mistake. we're fallible beings after all. Great video!

I remember about thirty minutes ago when you only had 4k subs. Simpler times.

I’m a fan of Milo’s videos and was glad to find your channel based off his reaction to this video. I greatly enjoyed the professionalism displayed in both videos. I’m looking forward to watching your videos.

Great content, probably learned more accurate information in the last few minutes than I have over many years regarding the "battery". I love the non point scoring approach, balanced and fair. Given the content you could have ripped Milo one but were kind while making the necessary points. You deserve more views.... Subscribed.

Refreshing to heat honest criticism without sarcasm and ad hominin extras. Thank you for a logical analysis.

Regarding the issues with taq-i kisra, is there any high quality 3D scans that have been done of the structure yet? Digital heritage is one of my areas of interest. it seems like it would be useful to not only have a preserved copy should more damage occur, but also could allow for simulations to be done that may help pinpoint weak areas!

"I hope my neighbor gets lead poisoning" Proceeds to write it on a thin lead sheet and toss into the town well.