An Exploration Into The History Of Alchemy.

Hi all, today we are going to look into the history and inspiration of alchemy.

Merriam- Webster, dictionary defines alchemy as the following.

“A medieval science and philosophy aiming to achieve the transmutation of the base metals into gold, the discovery of a universal cure for disease, and the discovery of a means of indefinitely prolonging life.”

Alchemy In Ancient Egypt

Alchemy was practiced in the first few centuries AD, in Europe, Asia, Africa, and Egypt. Their belief was that there is a chemical formula that would change common metals into gold. They believed that the Philosopher’s Stone was the key to this transformation. The Philosopher’s stone is a substance that can turn simple metals like mercury into gold or silver. It was also called the Elixir of Life, said to give immortality. In ancient Greece they believed that Adam knew about it from God himself. Plato believed that the four original elements originated from one substance out of the chaos, the prima materia. Many believe the prima materia was the first ingredient of the Philosopher’s stone.

Types Of Alchemy

There are three types of alchemy that were clearly recognized and defined. Chinese Alchemy, was influenced by Tao beliefs, and had more of a…