AskHistorians: Static electricity? How much did the Ancient and Pre-modern educated cultures of Europe and Asia know about static electricity? Surely they knew about it; what did they think of it?

by I_Say_MOOOOOOOOOOOOO

They knew about magnets; they must have known about the phenomenon of static electricity, even if they didn't realize what it was.

Examples are especially encouraged

OldWorldGlory

You might be interested in some previous answers from the FAQ section entitled "Ancients' views on static electricity":