Precious stones are made by economic supply and demand. First, however, they're formed by fire and pressure for millions of years. Prized...

Acetic acid is a compound with many uses. With chemical formula CH₃COOH, this colorless liquid has a sharp pungent smell and sour taste....

Indigo, deep blue dye from the Indigofera tinctoria plant, often associated with blue denim, is one of humanity's oldest dyes. The...

Alchemy of the ancients includes skills such as preparation of dyes, pigments and mordants for fabric and stone. Purple dyes are...

Antimony (Sb) from the ore stibnite, is one of the elements known by the ancients, a primary source of black powder kajal or kohl. With...

Lunar caustic ( lapis infernalis ), Höllenstein (hellstone) or silver nitrate ( argentinium nitrium ) is esteemed by alchemists of the...

Steam distillation develops from simple and fractional distillation techniques, and is first known to be documented among the Islamic...

Fractional distillation is a technique to separate components of a mixture based on their various boiling points. In this process, a...

The alembic is an essential alchemical tool. It functions like a retort, which in lead, iron or copper form has been used through...

Who said that? Pseudos are writers whose work is falsely attributed to a major figure. The real writer can be one or more. Many share...

Maria or Mary the Jewess c. 100 AD is considered the first true alchemist. In her works she mentions a clear white herb growing on small...

Displosis is the ancient practice of doubling gold. It's considered to be a skill of alchemists and early metal workers as well. If done...

Iosis and ios relate to the final stage of the the alchemical process, or rubedo in Latin. It can be called the reddening or purpling....

Known as the first true alchemist, Mary or Maria the Jewess is active in Alexandria c. 100 AD. Her work survives through commentaries...

The alchemy of elixirs goes back to early mankind, when plants with known healing properties are combined, boiled or mashed. The mortar...

Botrychium lunaria, lunary or common moonwort has a long history of use in folklore and medicine. It's found in the alchemy of Maria the...

Testing metals is a precise and varied process in the ancient world. It's a crucial skill in ensuring fair trade and preventing fraud....

Smelting, the art of extracting metal from its ore through heating and extraction, has been a part of human civilization since c. 6000...

Bolos of Mendes (Bolus of Mendes) is a Neo-Pythagorean writer of the Nile Delta in the 3rd century BCE. He publishes several works under...

Mendes is an important city of ancient Egypt, in the Nile Delta. The bolus of Mendes or Mendesian bole refers to a medical preparation...