• The Nimrud lens, also called Layard lens, is an 8th-century BC piece of rock crystal which was unearthed in 1850 by Austen Henry Layard at the Assyrian palace of Nimrud...
  • These dimensions would make the Nimrud lens equivalent to a 3× magnifying glass.
  • The Nimrud lens is a 3,000-year-old piece of rock crystal unearthed by Sir John Layard in 1850 at the Assyrian palace of Nimrud, in modern-day Iraq.
  • The surface of the Nimrud lens had 12 cavities that were opened during grinding.
  • In 1850, archeologist John Layard discovered what looks to be a lens at a site he was excavating at the palace of Nimrud in what is now Iraq.
  • Artist’s impression of the palaces of Nimrud by Austen Henry Layard. Photo: Wikimedia. One of the last specialists to examine the lens, Dr. Ángel Tomás...
  • Discovered in 1850 by English archaeologist Austen Henry Layard at the ancient Assyrian palace of Nimrud, in modern-day Iraq , the Nimrud Lens is a curious...
  • Nimrud Lens: What Was The Purpose Of This Ancient Neo-Assyrian Crystal? Complete the form below to listen to the audio version of this article.
  • The Nimrud Lens holds significant historical and scientific significance, regardless of its exact purpose.
  • The lens of Nimrud is a rock crystal object, 3000 years old, which Sir John Layard found in 1850 at the Assyrian Nimrud Palace in modern Iraq.