The ancient pseudosciences are nothing more than the following: claims that other elements can be converted into gold; claims that a medicine can be used to cure all diseases; claims that a certain ritual can be used to extend human life, or directly create life.
Simply put, alchemy in the Middle Ages was an attempt to use certain medicines or rituals to evolve human spirit and power to a higher level. Speaking of this, the first people to study alchemy were Chinese Taoist priests and Egyptian priests.
There are many introductions to alchemy in China, which always uses medicine to make elixirs, which are said to prolong life, or turn stones into gold. However, the so-called art of lead, mercury, red and yellow fails to reveal the laws of life itself, and gunpowder came into being. In Egypt, alchemy
The secrets of hieroglyphics are also in the hands of a few monks. After the advent of the Hellenistic era, there are relevant records in the ancient books of the Alexandria Library. However, the people of the Ptolemaic dynasty are only descendants of European rulers, and the secrets of hieroglyphics have long been forgotten.
Lost, Napoleon's expedition and the breakthrough on the Rosetta Obelisk took place thirty centuries later. Finally, the world's largest library turned into a pile of ruins due to the earthquake, and the secrets of the ancient kingdom were forever covered
shadow.
With the prosperity of Panhellenic civilization, the humanistic spirit also flourished. It was an era of omnipotence. Aristotle was an alchemist. He believed that matter could be synthesized through laws. According to his theory, the world
It is composed of four basic elements: water, earth, fire, and air. All forms of material society are composed of these four elements in different proportions. Therefore, as long as external influence and catalyst are exerted, soil can also be turned into gold.
Astrology that originated in Mesopotamia also cited this element. They believed that all celestial bodies in the universe - the sun, moon, stars, have an impact on human activities on the ground. Therefore, future generations
The alchemists believed that alchemical rituals could only be successful when various celestial bodies were in specific positions. In the eighth and ninth centuries AD, Greek alchemy was introduced to Arabia, and the nomads simplified Aristotle
theory, believing that all metals are composed of two elements: sulfur and mercury. Chinese alchemy was also introduced to the Arabian Peninsula in the form of gunpowder, and the longevity elixir became the legend of the Fountain of Youth in One Thousand and One Nights.
.Persian physicians systematically compiled these theories into books, which were frequently cited by alchemists in the Middle Ages.
At this moment, earth-shaking changes are taking place in Europe. The fall of Rome marks the end of an era. Darkness and ignorance have once again enveloped the entire continent, and the Greek system of humanities has withered since then. Until the 12th century, Arab immigrants poured into Iberia.
Peninsula (Spain) and Sicily, through contact with them, Europeans regained interest in alchemy or Eastern mystical philosophy. Greek manuscripts were translated into Latin through the intermediary of Syriac or Arabic. 1455
In 2000, a book was circulated in Florence and Venice, called icum, a collection of Hermitica. Its name caused a lot of controversy. Some people thought it came from the moon god Thoth of ancient Egypt, and some thought it came from Herm in Greek mythology.
Sri Lanka. In any case, it mentions a lot of alchemy, astrology, magical symbols and utensils, as well as various rituals of ancient Egypt. It is simply ancient ad&d. The papers of other Arab scholars not only have philosophical theoretical basis, but also a large number of
Application examples. The two most mentioned are: Arnold Uilanova (1240-1313), the inventor of distillation; Roger Bacon (1214-1294), who recorded the composition of black gunpowder in detail
Prescription, and manufacturing process of monocular telescope.
Let's take a look at an alchemist's hut. A typical laboratory would be dark, dank, filled with unknown medicines and emitting suspicious fumes. Many alchemists worked from home to save money and avoid outsiders.
Excuse me. Some people choose kitchens, where they can take advantage of a ready fire. Others go up to the attic so that their evening activities are not discovered by curious neighbors. These small makeshift spaces are often filled with all kinds of odd-shaped objects.
Instruments, manuscripts, skulls, taxidermy, and often small altars for spiritual prayers. All these furnishings are symbols of mysticism rather than science and technology. The work performed to refine elixirs
It is the most primitive chemical experiment, and alchemists were the first pioneers to try to separate various elements. The refining of white phosphorus and the synthesis of hydrochloric acid are products of the Middle Ages; at the same time, they used vessels, distilled liquids, equipment for analyzing metals, and various controls.
The method of chemical reaction is still used today.
Heating is a necessary condition for every alchemical experiment, whether it is heating a liquid or dissolving lead. In order to maintain a certain temperature, the alchemists invented the water bath. Friends who studied science must have done such an experiment in high school. A stove with a timer
Reflecting exquisite craftsmanship, there is a thermostat made in 1616 in the British Museum. People of that era already knew how to make bimetallic sheets.
There are always such laboratories deep in the legendary castles, and this is also true. From the kings on the Mediterranean coast to the country nobles on the Baltic Sea, alchemists are regarded as a shortcut to wealth. Greed is often accompanied by corruption,
As a result, scholars are also a mixed bag, and there is no shortage of clever liars and braggarts in Europe. Their actions can be well written into a grandiose chronicle. However, just as not every laboratory can produce Frankenstein
, the alchemist's efforts are mostly in vain. If he cannot fulfill his promise to turn gold, the price he pays is his head. The grumpy Red Beard II specially built a gallows to hang the unlucky ones who missed it. Alchemy in the Middle Ages
As a result, the reputation of magicians was ruined, because practitioners used more or less dishonorable methods to save their lives. From the 15th to the 17th century, alchemical books became more and more complex, and mysterious symbols and formulas could be seen everywhere.
A group of clever alchemists began to divert the attention of the powerful. They claimed that they could refine elixirs that could strengthen the body, and alchemy therefore embarked on the path of medical research. The most famous of them, Phillips Oles Pa.
Lasalle (1493-1541), he disagreed with the popular view at the time that patients were caused by disorders and disorders of their own functions. He believed that diseases exist on some external carrier, looking for opportunities to invade the human body. Drugs can
Helping to resist these diseases, this is the earliest idea about germs. In addition, he also mentioned for the first time the "silver-grey" substance obtained in the experiment-zinc, and was the first to use "alcohol" to refer to the distillation of wine.
liquid coming out.
The Renaissance brought about the golden age of alchemy. The efforts to restore the glory of Rome, please don’t get involved in this aspect, were illegal. It completely wiped away the silence of more than ten centuries. Many interesting things happened in the art and science circles.
People are dazzled by the results. Religion is also undergoing tremendous changes. Protestantism completed its reorganization in the first half of the 16th century. Alchemy at this moment consists of three parts: part science, part art, and part religion. It also steps on to the beat of the revival.
A brisk dance. Scientific researchers were officially separated from alchemists and became an independent profession. The by-products produced by the previous alchemists while pursuing precious metals, that is, their experiments, laid the foundation for modern chemistry. The other part is dedicated to
The study of astrology, at the lower level is like the fortune-telling tricks of gypsies, and at the advanced level it may be called numerology. The research on psychopathology that was popular in the mid-20th century also used the spiritualism and spiritualism of alchemists.
Let’s talk about astrologers first. Just as the purpose of art is to pursue perfection, for astrologers with true wisdom and foresight, how to reach a higher level in spiritual cultivation is far better than the temptation of wealth and fame; transcendence
The limitations of the body, which is as heavy and dull as lead, make thoughts as bright and mature as gold, more important than their physical realization. Unlike the Greek and Roman times, they were not as ascetic as the Cynics, nor were they like the Stoics.
Such rhetoric. They faced the skylight of the attic, vaguely grasping the integrity of the universe, verifying the constant changes in the starry sky, and guarding the eternal moral principles in their hearts.
Astrologers regarded their career as the sacred art of perfecting dualism: while completing the purification and sublimation of their own souls, they used the movements and changes of the universe to explain practical activities in the world. Due to the open academic atmosphere in the Renaissance, they also began to challenge ancient ideas.
Authority, put aside human beings to explore the mysteries of nature, and complete the transformation from the big to the small. (Socrates asked in the square: Who am I? Where do I come from? It is called a big question in philosophy.)
This noble purpose undoubtedly made him a martyr, and he never saw the door of the kingdom of freedom open throughout his life. When some people
While working hard all day long for a crucible full of gold, the true scholar is buried in a beggar's humble grave in despair.
Let’s talk about the founders of modern chemistry. They inherited the functions of the earliest alchemists. First, we will introduce Nicolas Freeman, an alchemist in Paris in the 14th century. He and his disciples knew nothing about the composition of matter.
At that time, everyone believed that all material existence was composed of four basic elements, just like Aristotle's theory. The elements were in different proportions and were formed under different conditions of cold, warm, dry and wet, so they had different forms.
Starting from this theory, the transformation of metals is possible. Freeman wrote in his book that all metals come from the interior of the earth, and the various elements are stirred and mixed in natural furnaces, and the process is controlled by some higher power.
Existence is determined, or it can be attributed to the will of God. The state of God is always perfect. Therefore, as long as the mixed elements stay in the depths of the earth for a long enough time, it may be iron or lead at the earliest, and slowly turn into gold and silver.
However, they are always mined prematurely, and the metals on the earth therefore show different forms. The mission of the alchemists is to continue the unfinished work of the creator and accelerate the "evolution" of metals. People today read this and also
We must admire their strong imagination.
All alchemists were secretive about their achievements. In alchemy lectures in the 13th century, everyone had to stand up first: "I swear on my soul that if I reveal to others what I have seen today, I will be eternally damned."
A priest named Basel Valentine wrote: "We can only look up. If we preach a little bit of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, our souls will fall into the deepest hell."
There are two reasons for this: first, a sense of superiority or greed, the alchemists kept their equations tightly; second, the church, they believed that alchemy was interference and blasphemy against the Creator, the alchemists
Engaging in the devil's art. Some noble people believe that their equations can be successful, but once they fall into the hands of ill-intentioned people, they will harm society, so they have to bury them. It's a very contradictory idea, so why study it with pious enthusiasm?
, but considering the achievements of nuclear physics today, modern people are not qualified to make fun of them.