Sylvia Rose
Bernard Trevisan: Legends of Alchemy
Bernard Trevisan is a prototypical figure in alchemy, constructed by various alchemical writers of the medieval and Renaissance eras in...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 235 min read
Medieval Alchemy: Jean de Roquetaillade
Jean de Roquetaillade (1310 - 1370 AD) or John of Rupescissa is a prominent figure in medieval France. A fiery Franciscan friar,...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 228 min read
Medieval France: Peasants, Knights & Urbanites
Medieval France sees many changes in the turmoil of war, plague, mad royals and the birth of the Inquisition. A precisely defined social...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 225 min read
Christine de Pizan: Medieval Writings
Christine de Pizan or Pisan (Cristina da Pizzano) c.1364 - 1430 is an Italian-born French court writer during the reign of King Charles...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 214 min read
Urine in Medieval Alchemy & Medicine
In the medieval world, urine is a surprisingly versatile body fluid with a wide range of applications beyond the obvious disposal...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 216 min read
Phosphorus, Uroscopy & Power of Pee
Urine has medical and practical applications though history. Renaissance alchemist Hennig Brand discovers phosphorus by boiling his...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 205 min read
Alchemy: Metallurgy, Myths & Magic
Alchemy has a lifelong relationship with the magic of metals and their multiple manifestations. Metal workers and later blacksmiths...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 204 min read
Magic Metals, Gold, Smiths & Alchemists
In Eastern and Western alchemy, the transformation of metals into gold (Au) symbolizes a process of maturation for metal and alchemist....
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 204 min read
Smelting Metals: Metalwork & Alchemy
In alchemy an essential piece of equipment is the hearth or forge. Smelting metal applies heat and a reducing agent to separate one or...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 196 min read
Elixir Vitae: Giambattista della Porta
In the European alchemical tradition, the elixir vitae or elixir of life is associated with the philosopher's stone. Legend has it...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 195 min read
Guelphs & Ghibellines: Blood of the Renaissance
The Guelphs and Ghibellines are feuding factions during the Italian Renaissance. Warfare and bloodshed between the two throw regions of...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 185 min read
George Ripley: Alchemist of Augustine
George Ripley (c. 1415 -1490) is an English Augustinian Canon, author and alchemist. One of England's most famous alchemy practitioners,...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 184 min read
Guido Bonatti: Medieval Astrology Star
Guido Bonatti (d. 1296 - 1300) is a renowned Italian mathematician, astronomer, and astrologer. Highly respected for his astrological...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 186 min read
Renaissance Astrology: Power of Stars & Planets
Astrology prospers in the East after the 476 AD fall of the Roman Empire. Indian, Persian, and Islamic writers prolifically translate...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 173 min read
Sweet Wormwood: Malaria Miracle Cure
Artemisia annua or sweet wormwood appears in traditional Chinese medicine texts of Ge Hong ( 283 - 364 AD) as an early remedy to treat...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 175 min read
Malaria: Roman Fever & Renaissance Plague
The malaria parasite P. falciparum has existed for up to100,000 years. Its numbers rise c. 8000 BCE with the Neolithic Revolution....
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 164 min read
Cosimo de' Medici & the Italian Renaissance
Cosimo di Giovanni de' Medici, also known as Cosimo the Elder, is a leading figure in the rise of Florence as the Italian Renaissance...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 156 min read
Poison Pigments of Painters: Renaissance
During the Western Renaissance, new exciting artists' pigments appear in brilliant colors, vibrant scarlet red, deep rich blue,...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 106 min read
Argyropoeia: Silver Making of Ancients
Argyropoeia is the process of making silver from another metal, such as copper. Although gold-making or chrysopoeia is better known,...
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Sylvia Rose
Aug 85 min read
Albertus Magnus: Alchemy, Arsenic, Astrology
Albertus Magnus ( c. 1200 - 1280) is a German Dominican friar, philosopher, scientist, and bishop, considered one of the greatest...
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