25 Most Puzzling Ancient Artifacts

21. Nimrud Lens

The Nimrud Lens is a 3000-year old rock crystal uncovered by archaeologist John Layard in 1850 in the Assyrian Palace of Nimrud, which is today modern-day Iraq.

While there are many hypotheses around the use of the lens, a prominent Italian professor claims that it was used as part of a telescope.

This would also explain the fact that ancient Assyrians were far ahead of their times in the study of Astronomy.

The lens is reported to provide almost 3 times the power of a magnifying glass, which can be further enhanced by combining it with other lenses.