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The Nimrud lens is a piece of rock crystal, 3000 years old, and unearthed in Assyria-proper by Austen Henry Layard. Some scientists are of the opinion that it was used as a telescope by the ancient Assyrians. It is believed to be the world's oldest optical telescope. It's a logical explanation as to why the ancient Assyrians knew so much about astronomy. The ancient Assyrians saw the planet Saturn as a god surrounded by a ring of serpents. However, some scientists are unconvinced, and claim that this lens, would have been a poor aid to vision. The Nimrud lens is currently in the British Museum.

References

1. ^ "World's oldest telescope?". BBC News. Retrieved 1999-07-01. If one Italian scientist is correct then the telescope was not invented sometime in the 16th century by Dutch spectacle makers, but by ancient Assyrian astronomers nearly three thousand years earlier. According to Professor Giovanni Pettinato of the University of Rome, a rock crystal lens, currently on show in the British museum, could rewrite the history of science. He believes that it could explain why the ancient Assyrians knew so much about astronomy. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)
2. "World's oldest telescope?". EXN Science Wire. Retrieved 1999-06-29. Pettinato believes the lens was used by Assyrian astronomers as a telescope more than three thousand years ago. They saw more in the night sky than was possible with the naked eye alone. For example, the Assyrians saw the planet Saturn as a god surrounded by a ring of serpents. Pettinato says that would be a logical assumption to make if they saw Saturn's rings through a primitive telescope. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); Cite has empty unknown parameter: |coauthors= (help)

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