During the late sixteenth century, the Roman Inquisition is influential in shaping perspectives on different forms of divination and...

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...

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...

Rosicrucianism is the study or following of a movement based in Renaissance thought, popular in the 17th century. Rosicrucians explore...

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...

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...

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...

Nous is a concept from classical philosophy, equated to intellect or intelligence, and the area of the human mind necessary for...

Hermes Trismegistus is in deep contemplation, wandering over rugged and lonely terrain. By the secret guidelines of the Temple, he...

Salt in alchemy is an independent mineral as well as one of the tria prima , or Three Primes, a medieval concept dominating Renaissance...