"Hematite" comes from the ancient Greek for blood. The stone makes red dust when cut and polished. The red color isn't always visible at...

Ge Hong (葛洪; Gě Hóng , 283 - 364 AD), or Zhichuan (稚川) is a Chinese linguist, philosopher, physician, alchemist and writer during the...

Gnosticism emerges in the 1st century AD as a philosophical and religious movement seeking a unique perspective on spiritual...

Argyropoeia is the process of making silver from another metal, such as copper. Although gold-making or chrysopoeia is better known,...

Alchemy and astrology have a long history as related spiritual disciplines. Alchemy, arising from metallurgy and ancient medicine, is the...

Stephanus of Alexandria (c. 580 - 640 AD) is a Christian philosopher bringing Alexandrian thought to Byzantine society. Despite moving to...

Four color stages are required to reach the Magnum Opus, the Great Work or the Philosopher's Stone of the alchemist. These are nigredo...

Chrysopoeia is Greek for "goldsmithing." It's the alchemical process or action of turning a base metal such as lead into the noble metal...

Wolfsbane, monk's hood (Aconitum) delivers a lethal dose of poison. In the ancient world, poison plays a vital part, from death by elixir...

Vermilion (vermillion) is a brilliant red, orange-red or scarlet pigment obtained by grinding cinnabar (HgS), a sulfur and mercury ore. A...

Qin Shihuang (Qin Shi Huang) is China's first Emperor. He ascends to the throne as King at age 13 in 246 BCE. Twenty five years later he...

The mining industry of Cyprus dates back to c. 4000 BCE, primarily focused on copper extraction. Cyprus derives its name from Kúpros, the...

The Cucuteni-Trypillia culture is a Neolithic and Copper Age archaeological group (c. 5500 - 2750 BCE) of SE Europe. From the Carpathians...

Thrace is an ancient region of Bulgaria bordering the Black Sea. In Neolithic and Chalcolithic times the seaport Varna and salt center...

The Vistula River is among the most important rivers of Europe. From its source in the Carpathian Mountains, the river travels north to...

Solnitsata is the oldest known town in Europe, dating to the Chalcolithic Age in the 5th millennium BCE. A major center of the Neolithic...

The Aetsi are a north Germanic-Baltic group described by Roman Tacitus in 98 CE. With strong connections to the trade of coveted amber,...

Ugarit is an ancient coastal city-state of northern Syria. In the amiable climate of the East Mediterranean, Bronze Age Ugarit grows a...

Viadrus is the name of the Roman god of the Oder (Odra) River, and of the river itself. The god gazes north toward the Baltic Sea,...

Astragalomancy is divination using astragali or ankle bones (talus) of animals as dice. Bones of sheep and goats are popular in the near...