The Electric Mirror on the Pharos Lighthouse and Other Ancient Lighting (Paperback)

~ Larry Brian Radka (Author, Editor) "On a low-lying island protecting one of the rare harbors interrupting the flat, featureless, Mediterranean seacoast of Egypt, a mighty lighthouse once stood..." (more)
Key Phrases: Loeb Classical Library, New York, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Review

This trade paperback was a very pleasant and informative surprise. A heavily illustrated book that explores the possibility that ancient humanity had harnessed the power of electricity. Preposterous you say, well Mr. Radka, a retired broadcast engineer may just change your mind. His investigation into this possibility was an exhaustive effort. With a library of more than 5,000 books at his disposal, his research displays a multitude of examples where the ancients used batteries, telescopes, mirror weapons, as well as carbon arc lighting. Radka s arguments are very intriguing. He shows evidence that several ancient structures such as the Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, was powered by carbon arc lights and battery jars. In addition to the ancient Egyptians, Radka also provides evidence that ancient Indians, the ancient Babylonians, Sumerians, Greeks, Parthians, Romans, Persians, Sassanians and Assyrians possessed the technology of electricity to illuminate their temples, tombs, fortresses and palaces. Radka examines a multitude of coins, assorted artifacts, tablets, monuments, folklore tales and artwork from these cultures and came to an astounding conclusion; the ancients had the capability of illuminating the night and dark places with lights. Illustrations and historical testimony are numerous and this erudite level of research establishes a foundation of acumen never before achieved by any previous scholar on this topic. In short layman s terms, I do believe Mr. Radka has indeed discovered something here. Radka also shows, and I think most importantly, strong evidence derived from cuneiform and hieroglyphic tablets that seemingly proves the ancients had the various materials necessary copper, lead, iron, zinc, glass, sal ammoniac, sulfuric acid- available to create primary and secondary electric cells. For instance, Radka shows several Greek coins depicting what appears to be ancient search lights at Sicily s Strait of Messina. I would urge anyone with even a passing interest in ancient technology, electricity, electrical engineering or the ancient mechanisms that potentially could have generated covalence, to purchase a copy. You would be remiss not to do so. Simply stated, this is one of the most important publications on the topic of ancient technology and lighting you will ever find. --Michael Lohr is a professional journalist, outdoorsman, music critic, treasure hunter and adventurer. His writing has appeared in such magazines as Rolling Stone, Esquire, The Economist, Southern Living, Sporting News & Men's Journal, to name a few.

Product Description

Synopsis: This book aims to prove through a comprehensive presentation of ancient coins, artifacts, monuments, and literature that the ancients used electricity to light up their temples, tombs, lighthouses, fortresses, palaces, cities and other edifices and critical areas. No other work on the subject in existence documents nearly as much evidence for ancient electrical technology, and it recalls interesting details and descriptions of the ancient Alexandrian Pharos Lighthouse and its electric beacon, some of which have never been published in English before. More importantly, this highly researched work finally solves once and for all the riddle of the Bible's mysterious Ark of the Covenant. Read this book and don't wonder anymore!

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Product Details

• Paperback: 168 pages
• Publisher: The Einhorn Press; 1st edition (April 15, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0965754588
• ISBN-13: 978-0965754583
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 8.3 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #688,486 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Mysteries Magazine review, October 28, 2007

By	Kim Guarnaccia "Editor, Mysteries magazine" (Surry, NH) - See all my reviews

With his heavily illustrated book that explores the possibility that ancient civilizations had harnessed the power of electricity, author Larry Radka may just change your mind. With a library of more than 5,000 books at his disposal, his research displays a multitude of examples where the ancients used batteries, telescopes, mirror weapons, as well as carbon arc lighting. He also presents evidence that several ancient structures, such as the Pharos Lighthouse of Alexandria, was powered by carbon arc lights and battery jars. In addition, Radka, a retired broadcast engineer, also suggests that ancient India, the Babylonians, Sumerians, Greeks, Parthians, Romans, Persians, Sassanians, and Assyrians used electricity to illuminate their temples, tombs, fortresses, and palaces.
??Radka also provides strong evidence derived from cuneiform and hieroglyphic tablets that seemingly proves that the ancients had the materials necessary (such as copper, lead, iron, zinc, glass, sal ammoniac, and sulfuric acid) to create primary and secondary electric cells.
??Anyone with even a passing interest in ancient technology, electricity, or electrical engineering should purchase a copy of this fascinating book. Illustrations and historical testimony are numerous and the erudite level of research in this fascinating tome establishes a foundation of acumen rarely achieved by previous scholars.
--www.mysteriesmagazine.com

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A history of previously little known facts about the creation and use of lighthouses and lighted towers, June 8, 2006

By	Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

Painstakingly compiled and deftly edited by Larry Brian Radka, The Electric Mirror On The Pharos Lighthouse And Other Ancient Lighting offers an original, informative, and profusely illustrated in-depth study of the incredible lighthouse constructed by Sostras of Cnidos, as well as a serving as a complete reference to a multitude of many other outstanding electrical lighting accomplishments down through history. Guiding readers through a thoroughly documented history of lighting and towers ranging from the Eiffel Tower and its search lights, to the remarkable Washington Monument (the worlds tallest masonry structure unsupported by steel), The Electric Mirror On The Pharos Lighthouse And Other Ancient Lighting provides readers with an engaging and unique compendium of specialized information. The Electric Mirror On The Pharos Lighthouse And Other Ancient Lighting is very strongly recommended reading, both for its thoughtful analysis and its concise presentation focused upon a history of previously little known facts about the creation and use of lighthouses and lighted towers.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Review posted by science writer David Bradley at SciScoop, a science news forum, May 25, 2006

By	Dr. E. M. Guggenheim (Maine, USA) - See all my reviews

ANCIENT ELECTRICIANS

By pharos, Section Reviews, Posted on Sun May 21, 2006 at 11:24:58 PM PST


SYNOPSIS of The Electric Mirror on the Pharos Lighthouse and Other Ancient Lighting. This book aims to prove that the ancients used electricity to light up their temples, tombs, lighthouses, fortresses, palaces, cities and other edifices and critical areas.


This book aims to prove, through a comprehensive layout of ancient coins, artifacts, monuments, and literature, that the ancients used electricity to light up their temples, tombs, lighthouses, fortresses, palaces, cities and other edifices and critical areas.

No other work on the subject documents as much ancient Egyptian, Sumerian, Babylonian, Hebrew, Assyrian, Indian, Greek, Roman, Parthian, Persian, and Sassanian as well as medieval evidence of this fact. Furthermore, the work recalls interesting details and descriptions (some of which have never before been translated into English) of the ancient Alexandrian Pharos Lighthouse and its reflective telescope and electric beacon.

The book presents easily readable explanation of carbon arc lights and a history of their use in nineteenth and twentieth-century searchlights (electric mirrors) and lighthouses. Its numerous illustrations, explanations, and historical testimony (from the horses' mouths) set a firm foundation for the reader to better understand the ancient advancements in electricity.

The editor (Larry Radka) has carefully laid out the ancient and modern illustrations (often in a comparative manner) on the appropriate pages that match up well with the text. Although this was time-consuming it means readers are not distracted by having to leap back and forth between the text and a bunch of pictures stuck in various parts of the book.

The ancient electric cells (batteries) found in Iraq in the 1930s and the evidence of ancient electroplating serve as a basis for the added proofs of the use of ancient electricity. From there, Radka presents illustrations of numerous artifacts and monuments that clearly demonstrate the use of ancient electric mirrors or searchlights. He also presents, what he describes as, strong evidence from cuneiform tablets and other sources that the ancients had all the materials (like copper, lead, iron, zinc, glass, sal ammoniac, sulfuric acid, etc.) at hand to make powerful primary and secondary electric cells. When we couple this to other ancient testimony of the use of extremely bright lights illuminating large areas, the only conclusion we can come to is that they had to have been powered by electricity.

The great Egyptologist John Gardner Wilkinson pointed out that the ancient Egyptian "paintings offer few representations of lamps, torches, or any other kind of light." Why--when they illustrate almost every other ancient Egyptian article? It is because people are not looking for ancient electric lights so they simply do not recognize them!

The Electric Mirror is published by Einhorn Press, 1314 Oak Street, Parkersburg, WV 26101, Telephone: [phone]. You can contact Radka at LarryBrianRadka--AT---hotmail.