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Article ID: CBB536332692

Noir alchimique: questions d’étymologie et de transmutation (2022)

Technai, An International Journal for Ancient Science and Technology
Volume: 13
Pages: 143-155
Publication date: 2022
Language: French

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Technology Color Alchemy Dyes Ancient Egypt

The colour black is frequently found in the corpus of Greco-Alexandrian alchemists. This paper examines not only the role of this colour in the various descriptions of the stages of transmutation, but also its relationship with both the name and the very origin of alchemy. The question of the relationship between the “black work” and the etymology of chêmeia, the Greek term for the alchemical art, has not yet been resolved. On the basis of a few key texts, I will analyze from this angle the issue of the “alchemical black” and I will eventually argue that chêmeia derives from the ancient name of Egypt, “the Black”, and indicates a corpus of knowledge which has its beginnings in the land of Egypt, namely, a complete set of doctrines and practices for manipulating matter, among which the transformation of metals is included.

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