Plague, war, famine and pervading doom lurk beneath the genius and enlightenment of the western Renaissance. The Rosicrucian movement...

Anna Maria Zieglerin (1550 - 1575) is a German alchemist accused of murder, attempted poisoning and intent to burglarize. At her trial,...

Writing inside eggs is invented by Naples polymath Giambattista della Porta. In the 16th century he uses this method to smuggle messages...

Making a proper theriac takes months. The recipe calls for plants collected in season, and the distillation or fermentation of herbs,...

Convents play a crucial role as centers of research and innovation during the alchemical Renaissance in Naples. The religious...

Roger Bacon (c. 1219 - 1292) is a Franciscan friar and fiery figure in medieval and later science and philosophy. He's known for his...

The theory of the four humors dominates medicine for two thousand years. Since the time of the ancient Greeks to the 19th century, humor...

Caterina Sforza (1463-1509) is a remarkable figure of the Italian Renaissance, leading a colorful and controversial life. Alchemy is...

Yliaster or Iliaster is a concept attributed to Renaissance alchemist and physician Paracelsus. This term arises from alchemy, where it...

Robert Fludd (1574 - 1637) is an influential figure of the European Renaissance. He's known as a cosmologist, astrologer, mathematician...

Natural magic is a type of Renaissance magic, working directly with forces inherent in nature, as in physics, compared to ceremonial...

Michael Maier (1568–1622) is a German physician, alchemist, epigramist and composer. A prolific writer and shrewd thinker, he influences...

Alkanet (Alkanna tinctoria) is a plant related to borage, also a popular medicinal herb. Alkanet is used in folk magic, alchemy, natural...

Catherine de' Medici is the Queen of France 1547 - 1563 AD. She's been characterized as a "sinister Queen" with notable interest in the...

The powerful Medici family of Italy, like many ruling courts, patronize and practice alchemy. In the Renaissance alchemy is a topic of...

Pope John Paul XII bans the practice of alchemy for the falsification of metals in 1317. In the Middle Ages, alchemy is a mysterious...

Abū Bakr al-Rāzī c. 864 - 930 AD is a Persian alchemist, philosopher and physician during the Islamic Golden Age . One of the most...

Calcination is a crucial process in sciences such as metallurgy and chemistry. A process of ancient alchemists, it's used allegorically...

Galena (PbS) is the primary lead ore for centuries. Lead can be smelted from galena in a regular wood fire. Some galena deposits contain...

Cupellation is an ancient alchemy process used in metal separation. Alchemy comes from metallurgy and early medicine. The processes of...