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<p>[QUOTE=&quot;Collect89, post: 1718072, member: 15445&quot;]<b>Thanks for the information everyone</b></p><p><br /></p><p>Thanks to everyone at CT including Bart9349 for this link.&nbsp; :smile</p><p><a href="http://www.academia.edu/467038/The_Use_of_Magnifying_Lenses_in_the_Classical_World" target="_blank" class="externalLink ProxyLink" data-proxy-href="http://www.academia.edu/467038/The_Use_of_Magnifying_Lenses_in_the_Classical_World" rel="nofollow">http://www.academia.edu/467038/The_Use_of_Magnifying_Lenses_in_the_Classical_World</a></p><p>I hope that everyone will visit the link.&nbsp; For those to lazy to click the link, <img src="styles/default/xenforo/clear.png" class="mceSmilieSprite mceSmilie11" alt=":rolleyes:" unselectable="on" unselectable="on" />&nbsp; here is some information gleaned from it:</p><p><br /></p><p>It is apparently an ongoing discussion about whether magnifying lenses were known, unknown (or little known) in the ancient world.&nbsp; There is apparently an absence of evidence describing how lenses were actually used.&nbsp; According to the 2010 paper by Harvey Hanna, this “absence of evidence” may really just be an “evidence of absence”.&nbsp; In his paper he reiterates that most of the written data of the ancient world has been lost....&nbsp; &nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>According to Hanna’s paper, there may have been lenses readily available in the olden days. The lenses &amp; applications may just not be fully recorded in the surviving historical records.&nbsp; The link describes that circa 423 B.C., there were lenses for starting kindling fires using the sun’s rays.&nbsp; The lenses were available to be purchased at the local pharmacy.&nbsp; Here is a cute &amp; quick scene from a play allegedly written circa 423 B.C.&nbsp; The name of the play is Clouds and according to the reference cited, it was apparently translated by Ian Johnston in 2000.</p><p><br /></p><p>STREPSIADES: Hey, I’ve devised a really clever way to make that lawsuit disappear—it’s so good, you’ll agree with me.</p><p><br /></p><p>SOCRATES: What’s your way?</p><p><br /></p><p>STREPSIADES: At the drug seller’s shop have you seen that beautiful stone you can see right through, the one they use to start a fire?</p><p><br /></p><p>SOCRATES: You mean glass? </p><p><br /></p><p>STREPSIADES: Yes.</p><p><br /></p><p>SOCRATES: So what?</p><p><br /></p><p>STREPSIADES: What if I took that glass, and when the scribe was writing out the charge, I stood between him and the sun—like this— some distance off, and made his writing melt.</p><p><br /></p><p>SOCRATES: just the part about my case?</p><p><br /></p><p>etc. etc. etc.</p><p><br /></p><p>If the translation is correct &amp; the date is right, then it’s apparent to me that there were lenses readily available in 423 B.C.&nbsp; Surely the lenses were prized possessions that would be cared-for &amp; passed down from one generation to the next so long as the lens remained functional.&nbsp; (Maybe passed from engraver to engraver).&nbsp; According to the Weblink, some lens artifacts have been found at a couple ancient engraving sites.&nbsp; These relics may have provided magnification of 3x to 20x.&nbsp; I’m beginning to believe that at least some engravers used lenses in their routine.&nbsp; &nbsp; </p><p><br /></p><p>My new Greek coin certainly looks as though a lens could have been involved with its engraving.&nbsp; I just received the coin &amp; will post photos ASAP.[/QUOTE]</p><p><br /></p>

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