History: Ancient, Classical and MedievalAlchemy
Ancient Civilisations: c.2000BC:
The first people to experiment withscience were the Egyptians and Babylonians, who applied their skills in apractical manner, without considering the theory of the processes involved.Although they made many innovations, such as the refinement of metal ores and inthe applications of dyes, little real science had been done. For instance,Egyptian alchemists once attempted to make gold by painting the surface of leadwith egg yolk, so that it appeared yellow. In spite of this, the word alchemy isderived from the Greek for "The Egyptian Art".
The Greeks and Romans: 600BC-500AD
No real scientific theory was pursued for about a millennium,until Greek philosophers in c.600BC began to wonder about the rules whichgoverned the world around them. The Greeks were unusual in the ancient world, inthat they considered the theory of science to be more important than itsapplication: they were 'thinkers', not 'doers'.
The Greeks laid many of the foundations for lateralchemists, as well as devising many of the mathematical, geometric andscientific concepts that still hold sway in the scientific world today. Much oftheir work was continued by the Romans, but they were much morepractically-oriented, and as a result, many of the less immediately usefultheories were lost for the time being.
The Medieval Period: Europe and the IslamicStates: 500-1350AD
With the fall of the Roman Empire and the coming ofthe Dark Ages, science suffered greatly. Since even nobles were rarely able toread in the early Middle Ages, most of the Roman knowledge was carried forwardsolely by literate monks, who saw fit only to keep track of the scientificknowledge that did not disagree with the teachings of the Bible.
Meanwhile, in the East, the Islamic scholars whotoo had been in contact with the Greeks began to develop their theories andextended their picture of the world. However, there was no scientific exchangebetween East and West until after the Crusades, when knowledge slowly began tofilter into the Christian world.
The Far East: c.1000AD
Scientific exploration was also occurring far awayin China. The Chinese devised many inventions long before they reached the west,including gunpowder, incendiary devices, and even a tank. However, theisolationist policies of Medieval China meant that this knowledge stayed firmlylocked away in the East.
The Return of Scientific Thinking: c.1350AD
Twomajor innovations in the West and Near East pushed their technologicaladvancement in front of that of the Chinese. The first was glassblowing.Although the Romans were greatly skilled glassblowers, the art was lost with thefall of their Empire, and only returned to Europe through the Arabic nations,who had kept the skill alive. Much of chemistry can be done only under glass,since other ceramics tend to interfere with the reactions.
The other innovation was more of a theoretical one.The Renaissance, beginning around 1350, marked an upsurge in the popularity ofscience as well as the more well-known artistic revolution. For the first time,Islamic scholars were admired by many Christians , rather than despised asdevil-worshipping sorcerers. Of course, the power of the Church had not fallenfrom the Dark Ages, and often pioneering scientists were persecuted as evilmagicians and witches.
Tudor England and Natural Magic: c.1500-1600AD
To escape from accusations of witchcraft,alchemists devised a system of classification which divided magic into twocategories, light and dark, good and evil. Of course, their system of 'naturalmagic' was the good sort, working solely with the magic that existed in allnatural things. The other, evil, sort was sorcery, whose practitioners wereaccused of gaining power from the devil to aid their own ends. The famousnatural magician and alchemist Giambattista della Porta wrote:
"Thereare two sorts of magic: the one is infamous, and unhappy, because it has to dowith foul spirits, and consists of enchantments and wicked curiosity, and thisis called sorcery, an art which all learned and good men detest... the othermagick is natural, which all excellent wise men embrace, and worship with greatapplause."
Alchemists and their counterparts in astrology andnatural magic gained a great deal of power in the period corresponding to theTudor reign in England. Knights, lords and even kings were known to show aninterest in alchemical experiments. Queen Elizabeth I of England is known tohave consulted an astrologer to ascertain the best date for her coronation, andlater in life was the patron of a project to discover the Elixirof Life, as was the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolph II. Even ships would notleave port if an astrologer foretold bad tidings.
The Fall Of Alchemy: c.1600-1700AD
However, the whims of different monarchs led to afall in the popularity of alchemy and other magically-based 'sciences'. WhenJames I came to the English throne in 1603, he hated 'magicians' and many whohad lived in luxury under the reign of his predecessor Elizabeth were forcedinto hiding and poverty.
In addition, the new physical sciences were gainingimpetus with the noble classes. These sciences were based upon the theories ofalchemy, but discarded the concepts of magic in favour of reason and logic. Theyeventually led to what are known today as physics and chemistry. The flawedscience of alchemy could not compete with the clear advances being attained byscientists such as Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle, and alchemy sank intoobscurity.
Modern Alchemy
However, true science did not totally destroyalchemy, and alchemical remedies and theories have been quoted throughout the20th century. An alchemist was known to be working in London during the SecondWorld War, offering traditional medicines to those suffering from the lack ofcivilian healthcare, though he was killed when a bomb landed on his laboratory.
In addition, 'new-age' theories have led to aresurgence in the popularity of natural magic during the last twenty years.While the search for substances such as the Philosopher'sStone and the Alkahest have been largely abandoned, the role of alchemy intraditional medicines is a new area of interest.
