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technology of the ancient world, was promoted thus: "Based upon British Museum, analysed the Mitchell-Hedges Skull and argued 33 years of research all over the world, in museums from that it is not of modern workmanship. Digby wrote: "...in neither Stockholm to Shanghai, from Athens to Cairo, and in thousands case [they analysed the British Museum Skull as well] is there any of books in several languages, Robert Temple has reconstructed a trace of identifiable tool marks, and it is certain that neither wholly forgotten story: the story of light technology in ancient specimen was made with steel tools. On the teeth there is no trace civilisation. It goes back at least to 2600 BC in Old Kingdom of a lapidary's wheel which would betray one or both specimens Egypt, and continues throughout Western antiquity." as being of comparatively recent origin." Writing in the journal Temple's quest began when he spoke to Arthur C. Clarke about Man in July 1936 (vol. 36), they both commented that the skull's the Mitchell-Hedges Skull, whereby British science historian detachable lower jaw would have taken the creator—whoever he Derek Price, who is most famous for his study of the Antikythera was—many hundreds if not thousands of hours of extra work, and device (another anomalous archaeological discovery that only that thus there would have to have been an important reason why recently has received serious academic attention), then spoke to the jaw had to be detached—more so than for purely artistic him about the Layard Lens as another example of our forefathers reasons. having worked with crystal. In 1964, Anna "Sammy" Mitchell-Hedges—the adventurer's In the mid-19th century, English archaeologist Sir John Layard adopted daughter and custodian of the Skull of Doom—lent the excavated the remains of Babylon and skull to Frank and Mabel Dorland, famous Nineveh. In 1850, during the excavation of art experts and restorers. Dorlan the throne room of the Assyrian King Sargon commenced his study by taking many II's palace, he discovered a lens. It is dated to photographs from various angles. He also 721-705 BC and is currently—also—in the used a binocular microscope to create a British Museum. It is considered to be the three-dimensional image of the skull. first used (or found) plano-convex lens. During this scientific analysis, the skul While no one would Temple notes on his website: "...this rock also seemed to reveal a magical dimension. crystal fens, now cracked and considerably be able to see what one evening onan Finished fis work to amaged, was originally a perfect convex . late for the skull to be returned to its vault lens eth a flat (‘plane’) base, which was was happening from in the Mill Valley Bank. So he took the ground in a special way known to opticians behind the skull, skull home, placing it next to the fire he ha as ‘toroidal'—a technique only available for . lit for the evening. He then noticed how the the public since about 1900. Such grinding anyone looking at the light of the fire was reflected through the produces lenses to correct for individual face would perceive a eyes of the skull. This made him realise cases of astigmatism. It would be . that the skull allowed certain optical possible to go out into the street today spectacular series of effects to be produced—though other and find someone whose astigmatism images that would stories state that throughout the entire was perfectly corrected by the Layard evening the house was also a hive of appear to come from within the skull itself. Lens... It is most extraordinary that poltergeist activity. such a high technology existed in the Dorland discovered that the optical 8th century BC. And not a single effects were the result of how the skull Assyriologist has acknowledged the had been carved, which gave him even publication of my study of this further insights into the precision of important object except for the one who the workmanship. He observed that encouraged me in the first place; he was there was a type of "layering" on top curious as to what the results would be. of the skull, which made the skull So it appears that the community of behave like an amplifying glass. The Assyriologists find[s] it convenient not back of the skull channelled the light to 'see' my book." through the eye sockets at the front of Why? Largely because, as with the crystal skulls, the the head. While no one would be able to see what was happening establishment believes—for that is what it is—that only from the from behind the skull, anyone looking at the face would perceive 19th century were "we" able to do such things. a spectacular series of images that would appear to come from However, archaeologists are not totally denying the existence of within the skull itself. lenses in antiquity, as evidenced in a study by George Sines and Finally, Dorland discovered two holes at the bottom of the skull Yannis A. Sakellarakis (American Journal of Archaeology, vol. that are invisible when the skull is positioned upright. The holes 91, no. 2, April 1987), reporting how "...a recent find in the can be used so that the skull can be swung without falling over. Idaean Cave in Crete of two rock crystal lenses of unusually good Together with the detachable jaw, this was a further indication optical quality led to this investigation of other lenses from that this skull was not a mere display object but had been created antiquity. The evidence indicates that the use of lenses was to perform certain functions: to move, if not pretend to speak (via widespread throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean the detachable jaw), and to "project" certain images to the basin over several millennia." They added: "The use of lenses as observer standing in front of it. burning glasses in Classical Greece is noted, as is the need for In December 1970, Dorland took the skull to the laboratories of magnifying lenses to authenticate seal impressions." Hewlett-Packard in Santa Clara, California, at the time one of the world's most advanced centres for computers and electronics. The Scientific Scrutiny of the "Skull of Doom" lab technicians were specialists in the production of precision In 1936, eminent anthropologist G. M. Morant and Adrian quartz crystals, which were used in various high-tech instruments. Digby, a future Keeper of the Department of Ethnology at the It meant that they were perfectly suited for trying to figure out was happening from behind the skull, anyone looking at the face would perceive a spectacular series of images that would appear to come from within the skull itself. Scientific Scrutiny of the "Skull of Doom" In 1936, eminent anthropologist G. M. Morant and Adrian Digby, a future Keeper of the Department of Ethnology at the 54 = NEXUS APRIL — MAY 2008 While no one would be able to see what www.nexusmagazine.com