A possible first telescope! (The Mirror and the Magnifying Glass)
By Clarence G. Underwood
Back in the 19th century Austin Henry Layard discovered a Lens in some Assyrian ruins. It was suggested that the Lens may have been part of a telescope. We understand that the telescope appeared in the 17th century, but is it possible that they existed before that? An online search will demonstrate that different ancient people reported seeing markings or wounds on the moon before that! In Africa and elsewhere, it was reported that skilled craftsmen made mirrors and lenses used for reflection and magnification. A further search on line reveals that tubeless telescopes with magnification powers of 5-10x have been used by stargazers. Perhaps that technology was utilized by ancients to observe the moon and other celestial objects so as to enhance ancient knowledge about the heavens!
While the first known magnifying lens, the Nimrud lens dates back to 750 BCE, the first known mirrors date to 6,000 BCE out of Turkey. A lone mirror place at a distance directed towards the sky can magnify the moon and planets. This could also account for reports of holes and pits on the moon before the telescope of the 17th century!