The documents comprise an offprint of an article by A. T. Churchman entitled 'Tomorrow's Battery Today', ('Journal of the Royal Society', (1975); copy of a letter from Joseph Needham to Dr. A. T. Churchman of the Electricity Council Research Centre, London, enquiring about the paper and the 'alleged ancient Sumerian battery'; letter of reply from Churchman, accompanying a page from 'Copper' the journal of the Copper Development Association, referring to the possible discovery of an early form of electric cell by the German archaeologist, W. Koenig; letter from Prof. Glyn Daniel of St. John's College, Cambridge, abuot Joseph Needham's 'Time and Eastern Man' and his search for information on the Sumerian battery; letter and postcard from Joan Oates of Girton College, Cambridge, providing references to the battery, which she says 'is Parthian not Sumerian in date'; letter for A. P. C. Hallowes of the Copper Development Association acknowledging receipt of an enquiry from Needham about the battery; letter from Margaret Munn-Rankin of Cambridge, accompanying a copy of a paper by Albert Al-Haik entitled 'The Rabbou'a Galvanic Cell', ('Sumer', 1964) and a copy of a paper by W. Winton entitled 'Baghdad Batteries B. C.', ('Sumer', 1962).