Skip to main content

Recently Updated Pages

47 Michael Sendivogius

History of Alchemy

In the early 1600's there was one emperor, Rudolf II in Prague, who funded much alchemy. The sto...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

46 Francis Anthony

History of Alchemy

Aurum Potabile, drinkable gold, was a Paracelsian idea based on the perfection of gold being used...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

45 Paracelsus

History of Alchemy

Behind Nicholas Flamel in popularity as an alchemist is Paracelsus, born Theophrastus Philippus A...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

44 The Fall of Constantinople

History of Alchemy

On May 29th, 1453, the great city of Constantinople, which stood for over 1000 years, assaulted b...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

43 George Ripley

History of Alchemy

George Ripley (1415 - 1490) holds a semi-special spot in my alchemical education. He wrote a long...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

42 Bernard of Trevisan

History of Alchemy

In the 1500's and 1600's, a series of compilations of alchemical texts were published. This has a...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

41 Nicolas Flamel

History of Alchemy

Nicholas Flamel is probably the most famous non-existent alchemist. I think he didn't not exist, ...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

40 Alchemical Cons

History of Alchemy

There is a long history of alchemists conning the gullible out of their riches. We've just seen a...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

39 Alchemical Symbolism

History of Alchemy

Symbols have almost always been used in alchemy. It took two forms: typographic symbolism, litera...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

37 Petrus Bonus

History of Alchemy

Petrus Bonus wrote one very influential work, The New Pearl of Great Price in 1330 AD. This book ...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

36 Who was Geber?

History of Alchemy

Geber was invented in Europe, probably after 1300 AD. he wrote in Latin, was not a numerologist, ...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

35 Raymond Lull

History of Alchemy

Raymond Lull (or Ramon or Lully or Llull or Lullii, 1232 - 1315) is a highly influential author. ...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

34 Arnold of Villanova

History of Alchemy

Arnold of Villanova, born near Valencia, Spain, in 1235, was a renowned physician and contrarian....

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

33 Roger Bacon

History of Alchemy

Roger Bacon (1219 - 1292) was also a monk (Franciscan friar) teaching at the University of Paris....

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

32 Albertus Magnus

History of Alchemy

Albertus Magnus, "Albert the Great", was a German who became a monk then a university lecturer, a...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

28 ibn Umayl

History of Alchemy

Muḥammad ibn Umayl al-Tamīmī is thought to have written a very important Arabic text, known in La...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

27 What Jabir Said

History of Alchemy

Okay, I know it's hard to read so much. Here's the short version, as told by me: Mercury-Sulfur ...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

26 Jabir ibn Hayyan

History of Alchemy

Jabir ibn Hayyan is a central figure in Arabic alchemy. Working from about 750 AD he also preserv...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

25 Khalid ibn Yazid

History of Alchemy

Of the many fascinating Arabic texts impinging on alchemy and science, I will only address a few ...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce

24 The Rise of Islam and Oxyrynchus

History of Alchemy

By 600 A.D. Egypt was being run the Byzantine Roman empire (Constantine moved the seat of Roman r...

Updated 6 months ago by bruce