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Silver (Ag): Ancient Trade to Modern Tech
Silver is a lustrous versatile transition metal used from Neolithic times to create ornaments. It's known for antibacterial powers, and...
Sylvia Rose
Mar 105 min read
32 views


Salt (NaCl): Science, History & Cuisine
Salt is primarily sodium chloride (NaCl). As a naturally occurring mineral it's known as halite or rock salt. Vital for food preservation...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 255 min read
10 views


Pharos Lighthouse: Ancient Wonder of Alexandria
The Lighthouse of Alexandria or Pharos Lighthouse is a beacon for seafarers and a brilliant display of power, wealth and technology in...
Sylvia Rose
Feb 244 min read
19 views


Treponema pallidum: About the Syphilis Bacteria
Treponema pallidum is a parasitic spirochete or spiral bacterium, primarily known for causing the STI syphilis . It's tricky to...
Sylvia Rose
Jan 295 min read
11 views


Syphilis: History & Symptoms of a Ravaging Disease
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection (STI) of obscure origins, a spotty history and massive impact. In the Renaissance its...
Sylvia Rose
Jan 284 min read
11 views


Top Fermenting & Bottom Fermenting Yeasts
Fermentation in brewing transforms sugar into alcohol through the action of a vast colony of one-celled, immotile microbes. Top...
Sylvia Rose
Jan 114 min read
22 views


Krausen (Kräusen): Bubbles of Brewing Success
Krausen is a joyful moment in brewing and fermenting. When krausen appears, fermentation is under way. When it falls, fermentation is...
Sylvia Rose
Jan 25 min read
28 views


Feudalism & the German Peasants' War
Feudalism is a structured system of land ownership and governance in which the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. It includes a...
Sylvia Rose
Jan 19 min read
12 views


Vulcano: Child Miners, Gods & Extremophiles
Vulcano is part of the Aeolian Island archipelago of Italy. Named for Vulcan, Roman god of fire and metalworking, Vulcano is a unique...
Sylvia Rose
Dec 24, 20245 min read
14 views


Sublimation & the Aludel: Medieval Alchemy
Sublimation is a process of refinement, purification or extraction of specific elements. The aludel, a unique alchemical apparatus, is...
Sylvia Rose
Dec 15, 20245 min read
14 views


Zaffre: Vintage Cobalt Blue Glass & Artists' Pigment
Zaffre (zaffer) is a vibrant deep blue pigment developed by alchemists, major pigment creators, by c. 1550 AD. Characterized by brilliant...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 27, 20246 min read
11 views


Flowers of Antimony: Pure Medieval Purgative
Flowers of antimony are a purified form of antimony trioxide (Sb2O3). Created through sublimation, they have chemical and medical...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 25, 20244 min read
23 views


Glass of Antimony: Renaissance Purgatives
Glass of antimony , or vitrum antimonii , gives warm yellow or red hues. As Sb2O3, its use in alchemy is largely medicinal, one of many...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 24, 20244 min read
9 views


Faust: Fact & Fiction German Renaissance
Johann Georg Faust or Doctor Faustus is an alchemist, physician and magician, a cryptic figure of the German Renaissance. Perceived by...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 24, 20246 min read
32 views


German Peasants' War: Rebellion of Despair
The German Peasants' War (1524-5) is short, bloody and violent, and changes the course of history in Europe. Up to 400,000 peasants rise...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 22, 20245 min read
12 views


Nine Years War 1688-1697 France vs. Europe
The Nine Years War, also known as the War of the League of Augsburg, is a key conflict in European history. Fierce battles erupt,...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 16, 20247 min read
15 views


Liver of Sulfur: Alchemy, Metal & Medicine
Liver of Sulfur is a unique compound of alchemy, metallurgy and medicine. Also known as hepar sulfuris or sulfurated potash, Liver of...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 15, 20245 min read
12 views


Diana's Tree: Silver Crystals of Lunar Caustic
Diana's Tree ( Arbor Diana or Dianae ) is one of the most intriguing creations of alchemy. Its delicate branches of crystallized silver...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 12, 20244 min read
11 views


Lye (NaOH): Caustic Soda for Soap & Glass
Lye or sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is a vital part of human history. Also called caustic soda, lye is a white odorless solid. A strong...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 5, 20244 min read
7 views


Potash: Agriculture, Plant & Garden Health
Potash is a mineral group prized in agriculture, health and human life though history. Potash covers various potassium-rich salts,...
Sylvia Rose
Nov 4, 20244 min read
25 views
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