I learned Alchemy from Medieval Manuscripts. Here's how it works:
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- Опубліковано 12 січ 2024
- An introductory Video to Alchemy! In this video we take a look at the four elements alchemists relied on, and the process of "calcination"
Some fun videos on alchemy to check out:
Esoterica on Aristotle's Meteorologies:
• How Aristotle Accident...
Principe on alchemy and chemistry:
• Alchemy on the Cutting...
Matteo Martelli on Graeco-Egyptian Alchemy: • The Art of Alchemy Col...
Sources (in order of appearance) I'll try to link to virtual copies for as many as I can :)
Earle Caley, 'Leyden and Stockholm Papyri'
homepages.uc.edu/~jensenwb/bo...
Lawerence Principe, 'Secrets of Alchemy'
Richard Gordon, 'Imagining Greek and Roman Magic' in 'Witchcraft and magic in Europe Ancient Greece and Rome'
Matteo Martelli, 'Four Books of Pseudo Democritus'
G.E.R Lloyd, 'Early Greek Science; Thales to Aristotle'
archive.org/details/G.E.R.Llo...
Shannon Grimes, 'Becoming Gold'
Rumor and Martelli, 'Near Eastern Origins of Graeco Egyptian Alchemy'
www.academia.edu/6572229/_wit...
Matteo Martelli, 'Greek Alchemists at Work'
www.academia.edu/6530313/Gree...
G.E.R. Lloyd, 'Greek Science after Aristotle'
archive.org/details/greekscie...
Earle Caley, Theophrastus 'On Stones'
www.xtal.iqfr.csic.es/Cristal...
E. W. Webster, Aristotle's 'Meteorology'
classics.mit.edu/Aristotle/me...
Dorothy Wyckoff, Albertus Magnus' 'Book of Minerals'
ia800600.us.archive.org/35/it...
Holmyard and Russell, 'Works of geber' (this includes my source for Gebers 'Invention of Verity'
William Newman, 'The Summa Perfectionis of Pseudo Geber'
archive.org/details/summa_per...
Gail Marlow Taylor, 'The Alchemy of Al-Razi'
Virginia Heines, 'Libellus De Alchemia attributed to Albertus Magnus'
Humphry Davy, 'Philosophical Transactions: On Some New Phenomena of Chemical Changes Produced by Electricity, Particularly the Decomposition of Fixed Alkalies...'
royalsocietypublishing.org/do...
Humphry Davy, 'Electro-Chemical Research, on the Decomposition of the
Earths...'
royalsocietypublishing.org/do... - Наука та технологія
I'm beyond thrilled to see such a positive response to this video! Im going to list corrections people have raised at the end of this comment, but first, some people have asked what the chemical reactions depicted actually are in modern terms:
-The "sulfur water" deposits a layer of poly-sulfides on the surface of the silver. The lant(ammonia made from urine) slows the deposition of sulfides such that a very thin layer can be achieved, which results in a glimmering yellow color
- Quicklime is calcium oxide, which is made by the thermal decomposition of calcium carbonate(CaCO3 -> CaO + CO2). calcium oxide reacts exothermically with water to form calcium hydroxide, a weakly soluble base(CaO + H2O -> Ca(OH)2)
-Sal ammoniac is ammonium chloride(NH4Cl), an ionic salt that can be decomposed into a mist of ammonia gas and hydrogen chloride, which can then recombine with each other to reform ammonium chloride, giving the salt the ability to sublime (NH4Cl(solid) NH3(gas) + HCL(gas))
-wood ash is a mixture of ionic compounds. the insoluble component is mostly calcium carbonate(limestone) whereas the soluble component is mostly potassium carbonate(K2CO3), a weak base.
-potassium carbonate(potash) reacts with calcium hydroxide(quicklime) to form potassium hydroxide(potash alkali) and calcium carbonate(limestone, which precipitates because it is insoluble, pushing the reaction forward) Potassium hydroxide is a water-soluble strong base(Ca(OH)2 +K2CO3 -> CaCO3 + 2KOH)
-Cream of tartar is potassium bi-tartrate, an acidic potassium salt of tataric acid. tartaric acid is an organic acid (specifically a di-protic carboxylic acid, meaning it has two carboxylic acid groups) In high heat this organic acid is decomposed forming potassium carbonate, which undergoes the same reaction as potash when treated with quicklime
Corrections:
Around 37 minutes into the video I say alchemists invented the word crucible to mean little crucifier, I was mistaken the word was not their invention, Medieval Alchemists made use of the word crucible to suggest the crucifiction of a substance, but that was an etymology they imposed on an existing latin word "crucibulum" whose original etymology may or may not be related to crucifixion at all.
This is a really great video, you put in a lot more research into this topic than most people do, not only addressing historical methods and the practical aspect behind alchemy, but also the mindset of ancient alchemists. I like to study medieval manuscripts, and the level of detail always amazes me. In highschool I recreated an alembic still in my pottery class to try different things with (although i wont deny that creating liquor was on my mind when i made it), and I've also thought about gilding designs into a set of medieval armor I had commissioned using mercury.
😊😊
@@notstupid5322 Alchemy was not only about making substances from others, but also about interaction between consciousness and matter ("inner alchemy" etc.) involving mystical experiences (not only chemically induced drug trips) with spiritual practices to purify ones soul in struggle for enlightenment. So it was not only a predecessor of chemistry in the modern sense (nor intended as a scam method to intentionally fake gold by doing stage magic tricks).
Yo hit up esoterica for a collab on alchemy please I need more of his lectures and it's cool to watch you actually perform the Experimenta.
Send me your personal number to talk about this topics in private...😊 thanks from Brazil!
Clearly, these guys millennia ago did much better job at keeping their lab notes than my graduate students 😂
Tmbt medieval england
Survivor bias
They do have one thing in common - they both don't have their names written down or saved 😁 😂
@@taiyo-osuke I’m not quite sure what do you mean? Graduate student who did the work is always the first author of a paper reporting these results, at least in my case and my colleagues
@@qadirtimerghazin Ah, mou worded em badly - didn't mou? Shou art a joke about loreyardmans forgetting to write thy nameems upon thy papers!
( Anglish )
The way ancient people try to understand the world around them is pretty outstanding, and somewhat baffling at the same time.
it really is incredible! and sometimes a little funny😅
"pretty outstanding, and somewhat baffling at the same time."
i feel like ancient people would say the exact same thing about us if they ever realized what a nuclear bomb was. like instantly, lol.
They probably think it is god/devil/spirit making it work@@darkranger116
@@darkranger116lol good point!
There is no try.
It's funny how many alchemical archaisms have made their way into modern chemistry untouched. It sometimes makes me feel like a wizard studying some esoteric magick.
Most rennaisance scholars were hermetic occultists, like Isaac Newton. Hermeticism is where the interest in alchemy came from.
if you do something quite advance in a lab with simple apparatus, it do feel like magick 😂
pharmakeia
Back before science unfortunately became synonymous with materialism (atheism) to the average person. Back then the physical and the spiritual were both given due importance.@@Strill_
As it should
As a chemistry student the history of chemistry is something that always fascinated me as a kid, it’s incredible you created such a high quality video I can’t wait to see more!
you should read crucibles: the story of chemistry. We read it in my historical perspectives of chemistry class in college and I reread it after because it was so fascinating. People were so clever to figure out stuff like different atomic weights !
Would you recommend me a book on the history of chemistry
The whole idea of "earth metals" on the periodic table being a throwback to the transitional period of still using alchemical principles of "earthliness" is blowing my mind, honestly
It's absolutely insane to think that chemistry started like this and now we have all these miraculous medicines and industrial processes... Wonderful video, loved the delivery!
thanks!
Everyday I weep for what you people have done to the noble art of alchemy. That's what's truly insane. You refuse to accept that with enough unicorn blood and harpy talons you can make as much gold as you want. Noooo... It's all gotta be "ScIeNtIfIc" nowadays. Pfft. I bet you don't even breathe in toxic fumes. Amateurs.
Lol@@anomonyous
@@anomonyous you know, that is really obnoxious.
More insane to think that people genuinly believe the herb we make a medicine from is better than the refined and concentrated "thing in the herb that does the healing work" :/ Democrasy was a mistake. The average human is too stupid to be allowed to govern others.
It’s crazy now that we can actually make precious stones like rubies out of its base ingredients .
Only took a few centuries of practice
we can do that in a box that everyone has on their kitchen counter, even! wild stuff.
Imagine casually telling an alchemist that we can make diamonds now but that's barely even a big deal compared to the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Like sure gem stones are neat but turns out that sulfur is just super useful.
or that we can transmute lead into gold using radiation.
@@tuseroni6085 but again, that it's not really worth it. would blow their minds
This is genuinely a great starting point for understanding alchemy in an earnest but "non-believer" way. I've for many years had an apreciation for the occult and mystic, but never believed in it, so no material was catered to me. Everything is either trying to convince you of a new understanding of the universe that's quite frankly bonkers (Kabbalah for instance is at this point rather new-age, so even genuine belief is a bit hard to sift out), or they dryly categorize beliefs and practices into boxes with barely anything of the actual beliefs discussed.
Treasure this man and his calcified knowledge of the obscure.
There's a reason everything points towards the occult and spiritual. It's the truth of this life.
@@frankwilliams4445 Far from everything does mate. It's an interesting way that people have tried to contextualize existance, but it fails miserably at predicting and adapting new observations while maintaining internal concistency.
@@frankwilliams4445 It doesn't though.
@@frankwilliams4445 everything points to the occult? ok, so.... a thread ripping out of mass produced factory made nylon shirt points to the occult? do you realise how egotistical and ridiculous you sound?
@@frankwilliams4445 Idk about occult but you are right about spirituality, in the sense that material reality points to a higher spiritual reality. but most people these days are post-enlightenment scientific materialists, so they are truly blind in a way that is really hard to break.
14:37 The word “Al-Kimiya” is in fact still used in Egypt! But in the modern day it is used to refer to “Chemistry” as a subject. Egyptians tend to pronounce it as “El-Kimiya”
Other history videos also need to include a 'burning stuff as hot as possible' segment. Way more interesting. I'm excited for more videos about the different processes and how and why they were done.
NileRed if he was born in medieval times
It would be great if you could give us the modern chemical formulas together with all the substances you use and what they become. Maybe just a small translucent box in the corner that tells us the reaction?
Apart from that: Great video again! I love your channel.
thats a very good point, Ill make sure to do just rhat going forward!
Wow it is like Christmas!!!🎉🎉
@@fraserbuilds Awesome, thank you! :)
@@johannageisel5390great suggestion
@@Gigi-xe8ibJesus most likely committed sexual alchemy without the sex
"as you might imagine, alchemists were famous for exploding" lmao
Paracelsus accidentally invented the first high explosive and also caused the first ever detonation.
@@hedgehog3180 First recorded? Sure. First creation? That guy was splattered all over his lab, with everyone probably thinking that he was struck by lightning.
Similarly, most of the people to discover elemental fluorine died of poison, acid, and spontaneous combustion, all at the same time. It was said that you could find those who isolated it by checking the obituaries.
@@torg2126 Human bodies don't self-combust, unless someone ingested something really bad (metallic sodium, white phosphorus or whatever) that would have killed him anyway.
@@AerialTheShamen fluorine is a stupidly powerful oxider. It's not really spontaneous combustion, but it's close enough to count, and sounds better than most other descriptions
@@torg2126 Yes, fluorine is definitely hell stuff (and very poisonous at lower quantities). Also inhaling oxyhydrogen gas might cause someone to explode or burst into flames, but the concept of spontaneous human combustion is that it suddenly happens inside the body without ignition source, which can barely happen by chemical accident.
Im a chemistry student (a modern one I should add) and I love seeing how chemistry developed. The idea of sorting what you have into similar properties is so similar to what would be done by so many others later on in history, but no one seemed confident enough to account for gaps in knowledge until Mendeleev. Pretty easy to see now how the chemists of that time dismissed Mendeleevs periodic table when you consider it was, at the time, about as convincing as the elements of alchemy.
One part of chemical history that makes me giggle is phlogiston. The idea we essentially went back to some idea of alchemy despite being into an age many would consider modern science, and being quite sure of ourselves as we did it is just funny to me.
Humphry davy actually proposed that a modified "phlogiston" theory might explain ammonia! he thought perhaps if something could turn a gas like nitrogen into a metal like his "ammonium" it might be the illusive phlogiston! its a really interesting notion considering at that time phlogiston was already considered outdated
Well, on the other hand, phlogiston if you think about it, is kind of “negative oxygen”: iirc, the idea was that rust + phlogiston-> iron, which is already conceptually pretty good chemical hypotheses. All you need is to test it by weighing rust vs iron and realize that the invisible thing that makes the difference between the two must be on the other side of the equation.
From all I know, there wasn’t that much of dismissal of Mendeleev’s work. The ideas of periodicity already were in the air, with several other researchers having similar, albeit less well developed ideas. Discovery of gallium, scandium, and germanium predicted by Mendeleev sealed the deal pretty quickly.
BTW, it’s worth keeping in mind that mathematically, when you’re looking at the periodic table, you are essentially looking at spherical harmonics
@@qadirtimerghazin what do you mean by that?
That end note on seeing the name of potassium written in the embers since the invention of fire is so very beautiful, and I think encapsulates what I find truly wonderful about the concept of alchemy. Not the potential for turning lead into gold, but the poetic appreciation of the joys and beauties of the scientific method. Seeing chemists, physicists, biologists, mathematicians all not just do the hard scientific work, but show, in a very human way, the beauty of their field in such a spectacular fashion... that, my friend, is true Art!
On another note, i remember reading an alchemical text ages ago about a flammable powder produced from the salt of tin and something else. It burst into flame when in contact with oxygen, and the author of the text made some (almost certainly bogus) claims that it was used in Egyptian tombs to burn away all the oxygen, and that when they were broken into millennia later, the inflow of oxygen reignited them, giving them the appearance of an eternal flame.
While the story is most likely false, id love to see you do an interpretation of the chemical process, as on its own I think it could be quite impressive.
I also found the text for you!
This interesting account of alchemical fire in a flask is from John French, The Art of Distillation, London 1651.
To keep fire in a glasse, that whilest the glasse is shut will not burne, but as soone as it it opened will be inflamed.
First extract the burning spirit of the salt of tin in a glasse Retort well coated; when the Retort is cold, take it out and break it, and assoone as the matter in it, which remains in the bottome thereof after distillation, comes into the aire, it will presently be inflamed. Put this matter into a glasse viall, and keep it close stopt.
This fire will keep many thousand yeares and not burne unless the glasse be opened: but at what time soever that is opened it will burne.
It is conceived that such a kind of fire as this was found in vaults when they were opened, which many conceived to be a perpetuall burning Lamp, when as indeed it was inflamed at the opening of the vault, and the letting in aire thereby which before it lacked, and therefore could not burne. For it is to be conceived that there is no fire burnes longer than its matter endures, and there is no combustible matter can endure for ever.
There may be many uses of such a fire as this, for any man may carry it about with him and let it burne on a sudden when he hath any occasion for fire.
Thanks for this! this will be a fun read. what a wondeful account of pyrophoricity! I'll definitely have to give it a try.
@@harberiondeanothemagician4697 best self defense weapon
@@harberiondeanothemagician4697 sounds a lot like thermite made with tin oxide.
@@nateman10 In real life most tombs were not airtight (definitely not among centuries) to prevent a flame from self-igniting. Only the sarcophagus of Chinese wet mummies were designed to be as hermetically sealed as possible. A self-igniting substance that can be sealed in a vial would be white phosphorus (very infamous for being found on beach and put into pocket when mistaken for amber, causing a blazing pants inferno).
So thankful for this kind of content. Just wonderful.
I wonder whether the uploader knows what a blessing it is to have Dr Sledge's approval.
oh man, its incredible to me! the trust Esoterica has built up in his audience by consistently creating reliable and rigorous treatments of esoteric topics is a rare and delicate thing that hes lent to my video. As someone whose a fan of esoteric topics, I know how incredibly difficult it can be to find reliable information on the internet about these topics. (personally, Id be wary of clicking on my own video had i not been the one to make it😅) it's honestly had me sorta speechless!
Tha Esoterica here! Best crossover ever.
@@fraserbuilds You've earned it, man. You're doing amazing work too. 💯😁
Omg :) im so happy to see u here
You know, learning more about alchemy, it's kind of a shame it's perception is reduced to "silly boys who think they can turn lead into gold through witchcraft" or whatever, when it's really the very foundation of a lot of modern chemistry. Some may have been grifters and quacks, but even in our age of modern science, sometimes the most qualified people making great discoveries for medicine are undermined by people telling you that you should drink colloidal silver.
@@theviewbotGenuine question, is there any reason it can’t be some of both?
@@theviewbotits a common misconception, alchemy become purely spiritual only in the last century (there is few exceptions in history). One reason is Jung, the other is rise of spiritual guys in general
@@mucuslukas When I read and listen to the lectures of Neville Goddard on Christian mysticism, I think the same thing, only wondering if there aren't many layer's to this reality.
I know many of the internal arts regardless of tradition or society speak of similar concepts, in practice they, plural, literal and symbolic, play an important role for different types of minds/consciousness.
Take Tummo Meditation, if you study with a practitioner from the east or west, likely there will be much in the way of symbolic religious and esoteric language transmitted during training.
When in practice you can distill this process down to the following: 2 separate muscle groups contracting [to find one, exhale fully, then cover your mouth and breath in (the muscle group that tighten's will be the proper group) to find the second you need only stop going to the bathroom midway through the activity, that identifies the second muscle group], the there is a breathing component, 45 seconds of full breath holding, 15 seconds of hold after the full exhalation, repeating this breathing pattern for the entire session, and finally a visualization of a source of extreme warmth, perhaps a fire, love, the sun it will differ from the point of consciousness.
This will allow the alchemist to produce extreme heat and to sit in extremely cold (to the human body) environments for long periods of time.
I was taught this and have used it during and after sitting in near freezing to / icing water. Much in the way of practicality hidden in the symbolism and religious rituals and both are necessary to convey different types of information to the student / practitioner.
Wonderful and thought provoking video.
@@theviewbotIf the purpose of the whole thing is spiritual then the whole body of literature surrounding it is very convoluted in conveying that...
@@theotherohlourdespadua1131it's both, but the spiritual bits had to be convoluted and secretive to avoid involuntary head removal, being burned, a little sunday crucifiction and drawing and quartering etc etc.
Fascinating! I never assumed alchemy was much more than primitive chemistry, but there was evidently a lot more to it than that.
Given how complex chemistry is, its unsurprising that it would be so complicated and multifaceted even in its primitive form.
Holy cow, you are the first one to show me alchemy can in fact be interesting. I've learned a lot. Thank you very much, this video is a joy.
Plant alchemy is the branch I find most interesting, making "spagyrics" of plants is pretty much the origin of western drug science
One thing about the whole turning lead into gold thing that i recently learned about, was that alchemists largely didn't seek it out for monetary reasons- rather, it was because gold was seen as the most "divine" of metals, being so rare, beautiful, and resistant to corrosion, whereas lead was seen as its opposite; common, dull, and dirty. To transmute lead into gold would be the ultimate test of an alchemist's abilities, proving they had mastery over all nature. Of course. Nowadays we actually can create gold from base metals via particle accelerators. Granted, the gold created is only a few microns thick, radioactive, and takes a ton of energy to make, but its gold nonetheless. Its both amazing and humbling how far we've come and yet how little we still know.
yes, I think I may have over emphasized the counterfeicy narative by quoting pliny😅likely alchemy was mostly done as a craft and a pursuit of understanding nature than it was as a form of counterfeicy. Many alchemists tell us exactly why they want to make gold, and those reasons varied alchemist to alchemist and period to period. To alchemists in egypt, gold was seen as literally the skin of the gods and held a sacred place, which is probably why these techniques are evidenced in statue making by priestly craftspeople. However these techniques were also definitely used for counterfeicy, we actually have artifact examples of counterfeit roman currency which mirrors these recipes. To what extent this counterfeicy was practiced is unknown, but some accounts attest to gold making being used to fund egyptian rebellions against roman invasion in the first centuries ad. However after that early period we sort of see the sacred nature of gold go away a little bit, in the medieval period its still seen as perfect matter, and the perfect balance of all four elements, but in a more mechanical rather than spiritual sense with the exception of a few groups like the fransiscans who saw studying nature in general as a religious imperative. Those monks seem to have practiced alchemy as a way to explore nature as a devotion to their faith.
theres also some gray areas where using alchemy to make money was also seen as a religious aim. Some christians believed when the antichrist came the church would lose all its wealth, and would need to build back up again, so they thought God created the philosophers stone to help them recover after the appearance of the antichrist.
@@fraserbuilds Maybe you're aware (this is my first visit to your channel and I'm not even through the whole video yet), but by the Renaissance alchemy had acquired a secondary character. It was not just about the transmutation of earthly substances, but also a way to discuss the transmutation of souls; elevating base animalistic human nature into something more perfect and divine. The jargon of alchemy was already impenetrable to non-practitioners, and so became useful for communicating about and recording ideas, doctrines, and practices that were definitely heretical to someone; this was amidst the Reformation and accompanying Wars of Religion and dynastic struggles from the Hussite Rebellion to the Thirty Years War, English Civil War, Restoration of the Stuarts and Glorious Revolution, and assorted other conflicts. When the previous religious order got burned at the stake by the next one before being replaced again by the first one (as was the case in England and several German states), free thinkers learned to 'encrypt' their ideas.
Aside, an awful lot of the Natural Scientists who kickstarted the Enlightenment were alchemists and part-time mystics (like Isaac Newton and many of those in the Hartlib Circle and so-called Invisible College). There was also genuine bleed-over into secret societies of the day, including the Rosicrucians (whose 'organization' is historically suspect; it might have really been more like an academic circle) and the Freemasons (whose organization was definite, if poorly documented; Elias Ashmole, noted English antiquary and alchemist, joined the Freemasons in the 1640s, and it certainly wasn't to learn how to cut physical stone).
This alternate version of alchemy, as the operational aspect matured into chemistry, became a major subject of study by the famous psychiatrist Karl Jung and a source of inspiration and insight for his work. I believe his thoughts on anima/animus in a properly individuated person were inspired by alchemical insights about unity of masculine and feminine qualities in the Philosopher's Stone (perfected soul).
Gold in this context was metaphorical, turning lead into gold was tuning the unenlightened into the enlightened. It wasn't just science it was a belief system.
I mean it was absolutely done for monetary reasons as well, humans have always been humans and alchemy was sometimes the crypto scam of its day. You can for example see that sales of alchemical texts in Europe rose during gold shortages. Some alchemists might just have used the prospect of gold as a way to lure wealthy backers to support their work but others were absolutely trying to create gold to make money and were often explicitly contracted to do so. The fact that alchemists usually failed to live up to these contracts is also where the narrative of alchemists as scammers comes from, though sometimes they could extract gold from novel sources.
@@hedgehog3180 And nowadays biology knows bacteria those do extract gold from soil or waste cellphones (phyto-mining), but of course they unlikely transmute matter but only dissolve and accumulate it into a usable form.
your channel really is a grimoire for the modern age!
oh man now i wished i named it "Fraser's Grimoire" 😂
@@fraserbuilds you could do a side channel that focuses more on alchemy-type projects, whereas fraserbuilds focuses more on actual physical structures like your automata and various torches
@Esoterica just gave you the biggest bump for your audience for this video. And justly so. This is very well sourced, and presented. I particularly like the nature background interludes.
Also, Justin, you guys ought to collaborate on something.
I was wondering why this was recommended. I think that the recent meteoritic success of the anime “Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End” with its emphasis on magic, folk magic and the philosophies of competing schools has likewise been an impact. The historical development of science is deeply embedded in the narrative and many will make the association and want to explore the topic more.
Personally, I have been interested in pottery due to teaching kindergartners and had previously explored the work of channels like Florian Gatsby, a professional contemporary English potter, and Andy Ward who is a professor that teaches on the history of pottery with particular focus on Native American techniques and methods.
It’s crazy how close they got to some high level stuff, like the idea that eveything is the same underneath it all. Although changing atoms is a lot harder then changing molecules
Light is the real prime matter.
@@AerialTheShamenlight is literally not matter
Congratulations on a video finally getting some real traction, your channel is awesome and deserves to be seen more widely!!
Thanks! :)
At first, I watched your video just for background noise while I was typing. But I end up watching the whole thing because it's so interesting, insightful, and nuanced than similar videos about alchemical theory. Some are just jumping into the esoteric side of alchemy without introducing it's proper foundation like in this video. The way you explain how ancient alchemist see the world, matter, and try to comprehend it with experimentation reminded me to Deleuze's work What is Philosophy? The alchemist who were not a scientist or philosopher, in fact a temple craftsman, give a starting point into philosophical and scientific inquiry about nature and matter in a non-linear way and overtime develop a robust theory about it. Interestingly, from a recipe (practical and concrete things) into a treatise (theoretical and abstract) instead of the other way around.
This is the most coherent discussion of alchemy I’ve ever observed. Thank you for explaining this so clearly and plainly!
Thank you very much for listing your sources! I'm in the process of building my "wizard's library" (because I'm a fantasy nerd), and I want good literature from historical "magic" texts to line my shelves. Plus, it's really interesting to read how the ancients thought about the world and about the intrepid spirits who discovered things and passed them down to us. 😊
Same here! I love the interesting perspectives and watching all sorts of beliefs intersect across these texts, best of luck with your library!
this is facinating! learning about the alkaline earths absolutely blew my mind
incredible video dude, so interesting to watch. its impressive how many alchemical discoveries were made so long ago that in some form still hold value in our modern chemistry. so many videos on alchemy dont detail the origins and explanations behind why certain things are called what theyre called, or how these frameworks of understanding came to be, but you explained it in such a succinct way. id love to see more!
Im glad that what you learn is processed during sleep bc i almost passed out like a baby bc his voice sounds like a nice book reading
This is genuinely the most fascinating content I've ever seen on UA-cam. Fantastic work, and thank you for sharing!
This has to be one of the best videos I've seen in years, in fact it's the first time I've felt real wonder in about as long. I've always had an interest about alchemy deep down despite not being a big science buff, and seeing some of it broken down in this way was just incredible, very easy to follow. It also boosted my respect for ancient peoples and their work with science immensely. I try never to look down on them in this regard, but humor theory was always baffling to me. Now I see how they came to these conclusions and why they persisted so long. Love it, thank you so much
I'd love to see you make more videos on alchemy. Your delivery is very pleasant to listen to and watch. I'm a nuclear engineering student and I work at a nuclear reactor and I cheekily refer to myself as an alchemist at times since we literally do transmute base metals into other elements.
Have been waiting for this kind of video for a long time 🙏 and am on my toes for the next ones on practical alchemy laced with historical references… excellent work and enjoyable presentation - can’t remember when I’ve learned so much in one hour last time 😅
I've been looking for a video about this for ages! Thanks for the amazing content
Glad to have stumbled upon this channel just as I've rekindled interest on ancient engineering and science through some old books, the algorithm really did great pointing me to your channel haha
this video was amazing - from the moment i first saw it on my feed i just knew i had to watch and enjoy it. alchemy has always been a deeply interesting topic for me, from the history and theory of it, to the beautiful and curious symbols they used for elements and differents processes. thank you for putting in the time and effort to create this, i'll be looking forward to any other videos you make!
Thank you!
That's amazing. The entire historicity of alchemy and chemistry amaze me. Then teaming it up with actual chemistry of the papyrus creation is more please.
Thank you! More is on the way, I promise :)
Yep. This is where we should be. I absolutely can't wait to learn more from you. I would love to see more about the translation process and how best to understand the symbolism in this way that directly teaches the old in context, while comparing and contrasting new methods fairly.
There is much love and no hate in the synthesis of this video. This truly feels like the bridge that was cut out from under us for understanding the transition from "ancient" to "modern" that I have personally craved. Thank you!
A lot of alchemical texts aren't nearly as cryptic as they have a reputation for, a lot are just highly decorated but the accompanying text is usually fairly clear if you just know the old names of the relevant chemicals and operations. Usually they only really get esoteric at the point where the alchemist's practical knowledge stopped and their speculation, or maybe more appropiately bullshitting started. This is especially the case when talking about gold making since that's impossible so at some point the writer has a product that they think is on the way to becoming gold and they have no idea how to proceed from there so they start speculating based on whatever theory they subscribes to and do so confidently so it isn't obvious that they don't really know what they're saying.
Thank you so much for making this video! I'm really enjoying the way you balance the history of understanding regarding technology and chemistry with practical applications of such history. It was actually really effective to make sure you were hiding what was actually going on with the alchemical reactions so that we'd be properly surprised by the end when we realized what they were doing.
Your content is _exactly_ on the edge between something like Primitive Technology and more complicated channels focused on homemade chemistry or crazy applications of technology (what people call the "makersphere" of UA-cam). I love that you're able to balance the simple beauty of hand-tooled or hand-worked crafts with informative history lessons. I'm really looking forward to more of your content.
Thank you so much! :) I was hoping it would have an effect like that!
Omigosh, ASMR alchemy lectures, and ancient art lessons. 2024’s looking brighter.
Wild to imagine that human understanding millenia ago was pretty close to the mark of present day understanding, but they lacked any way to expirimentally prove so much of their theories.
This was so cool John- I'm super-impressed with just how detail you went into and can only imagine how much work went into this video. I'm really glad you enjoyed making it and absolutely I'd love to see more! I'm inspired to pick up some (eventually all) the books you mention.
Thank you! This one was definitely a long time coming but it was a ton of fun to make, if all goes well I'll have more (perhaps a bit shorter) videos on alchemy out before too long!
Thank you for the demonstration. I learned quite a lot about chemistry, history, and the links between what we used to call alchemy and what we do today in chemistry and metallurgy.
The presentation was spot on, it makes a dry-ish subject way easier to process 5/5
Chemistry can be hard enough imagine doing it without pure forms of anything, clean equipment, ppe and all in secret
Always nice to see new alchemy content on youtube. Keep it up!
this is really amazing man!! well done 100x 🥳👏👏
absolutely fascinating dive into the history and the practical/experimental side of chemistry... well written, presented and the ending was perfect!! ❤
referring to elements' spetra as "their true names written in light" is quite beautiful.
Light is the genuine prime matter.
this was so interesting. I like science, nature, asmr, and a good story and this incorporated it all plus i'm a tour guide in prague which has immense history with alchemy and now i feel inspired to learn more about it!
Sounds like a UA-cam channel or something
I hope your channel really explodes. Your stuff is really interesting and well presented. I'm glad it turn up in my feeds
What a fantastic video. Kindled an interest I didnt even know I had, for a field that birthed the one I work with every day. Cant wait for the next one!
Wonderful historical perspective on the birth of chemistry inside the alchemy body! Listening was a pleasure and I can not wait for more!
Keep on with great work!
Thank you!
I found myself equally fascinated with your accent & the video's subject. Good stuff.👌
This is an absolutely wonderful video. I rarely see people attempt the pratical side of alchemy, and even less do so with so much reading behind it. Production quality is amazing, too.
Keep up the good work. The physical copies of research material is excellent for B-roll you can even show it for longer or repeat the material instead of the nature scenes since they are sometimes to long. If you keep up the work you will see that you have created a good base of videos that each will be able to fully use the recommendation system. Maybe your channel will explode like the alchemists did back in the day. Never stop having fun.
This was amazing, I’ve had an interest in the idea of alchemy for a while but I hadn’t looked into it really, and now that I saw this video I realize there’s so much I could learn about alchemy. I will happily wait for the other alchemy videos you mentioned you want to make in the future.
Glad the esotarica channel posted your video! You have a new sub
Was waiting for the Esoterica mention. This video was the best for me in a long time!
this is super duper cool!!! you're straight up doing wizard shit
Fantastic video as always!
this is so incredibly fascinating!!! I love your narration, and your voice is very soothing to listen to
wonderful video!!
Congrats for an excellent idea and excellent execution! It's great to explain the results in light of the current chemistry
Awesome, thank you for making and sharing this phantastic video! I learned a lot about alchemy and it's like time-travelling to see the ancient recipes come alive. I would love to see the purification of crystal and the m/faking of a precious stone in a future video 😊
Thank you! I just so happen to be working on a stone making recipe from the stockholm papyrus at the moment! Im a huge fan of your channel, its been a great help to me. if you would ever like a specific recipe reproduced or footage of a reproduction dont hesitate to reach out!
🥰🤩🥰Yes!!! What an awesome and generous offer, thank you! Ever since I read the two papyri I wondered what the precious stones would look like, how difficult or easy it would be to identify them as fakes, and if there are any of them among the thousands of ancient magic gems from the archaeological record. Can't wait to see your video on the stone making recipe! Have you ever tried a papyrus cleaning or a pearl making recipe? Have you ever tried a recipe from one of the Egyptian temple laboratories? @@fraserbuilds
Id love to try all these things! Ive been eagerly looking for information on the temple laboratory recipes and practices, do you know of any good sources I could work off of for them?
Ancient Egypt rated glass a gemstone, so it may have been one of those. But giving it the desired colour may still need special knowledge that was secret at its time.
It's interesting how similar your description of the aims of alchemy, combining and modifying substances to approach the qualities of a desired substance like gold, is to modern materials science, just with vastly different theoretical underpinnings
Modern materials science does find its roots in metallurgy and black smithing traditions so undoubtedly alchemists were aware of that and might have experience with it and saw it as an inspiration.
This video came up in my feed and I don't know why, but I watched the whole thing! Honestly very interesting and I will be checking out some of those books! It's so interesting to see how some substances relate to others. Thank you for making such a lovely, well structured, informative video. I don't know if I will ever practice alchemy myself, but I did enjoy watching the processes you went through and hearing the explanations for each part!
This channel is a rare treat. Looks like this video blew up. I hope the good fortune continues, and you get to make awesome brain-tickling videos for a living (assuming it would be something you'd want).
I'm excited to see this channel grow as you've got some really fascinating content. It's a really cool look into how things were done in the past. But as a professional that makes videos for a living, the endless shots of some random river, and not of the things you're talking about are painful to sit through. There is so much to see with the stuff you're talking about, I'm not here to see a random but otherwise lovely creek. Please consider filling the time with the things you're talking about. Stock footage exists for precisely this reason. Otherwise, very cool content. I look forward to seeing more.
Thank you! I love your channel :) I can see what you mean, I'll definitely try to fill the gaps a bit better in future videos. this was really the first video Ive made where I had much more to say than footage I had filmed and I wasnt totally sure how to approach it😅
@@fraserbuilds I'm really excited to see your video production improve as you make more content. The topic you're covering is so neat, I'd really lean into going the extra mile whenever it comes to visualizing things. Don't be affraid to pull images, use stock images, referneces, stock video. Or to take a little extra time to shoot bonus b-roll. Refilm bits that maybe didn't look perfect, or extra footage that isn't part of doing the experiment but will help make the video better. I think that'll go a long way to making your video fantastic. Keep up the good work, hope that helps.
@@fraserbuilds i really like the thought emporiums idea but idk if id lean as heavily on stock footage as he suggests i think you have a really unique subject on your hands and maybe try to make some suitably unique footage. I think it would be really Beautiful. But i dont make videos really so take it as you will
definitely helpful! Ill try to incorporate these and film more shots and angles in general. Im a bit of a slow learner with these things but have been really enjoying the process :)
A fascinating lecture very well presented as usual.
Thank you!
The river footage is so nice. Very calming background
Amazing video and explanation. I am trying to learn more about alchemy and the principles behind it. Thank you for making this and for the practical demonstrations!
Well, tbf, hydrogen is in the first period (alkaline earth metals), and is seen as a metal under extreme pressure in its solid form. So, in a way, "ammonium" is hydrogen and its beautiful combination into NH3.
I was just reading Mercurius by Patrick Harpur which is a fictional novel based on many actual alchemical texts about a priest doing alchemy in the modern age. It talks a lot about recipes quite similar to the one in this video, cool stuff!
This is really cool, I would love to see more of the history of alchemy!
This is very likelly the most interesting history lesson i've ever had... Thank you for existing.
Sweat would be fairly easy to acquire in bulk either collecting from gymnasium floors or squeezing it from garments.
I mean alchemists also worked in labs with hot fires before the invention of HVAC systems so they were probably very sweaty.
The origin of alchemy is jewelry forgery 😂
Your videos are really interresting. I like how much you tell about the history of the various things you do and make. Keep up the fantastic work!
Thank you!
Man, I just watched most of your videos in one sitting, great info!
Great video......sir.....love from India...... Keep it up .. this is an remarkable effort from your side to spread knowledge of Alchemy... it's very great.
it's a request...Please make a documentary on the Alchemist jabir ibn hayyan and his books and his works....contribution to Alchemy and on his teacher who teaches him Alchemy.
Thank you! I hope to make a video about Jabir!
@@fraserbuilds it's your goodness thanks a lot ❤️
The difference between an alchemist and a chemist is the use of scales
My General chemistry professor always said that and I 100% agree
I wouldn't say they're the same and do not look for the same thing exactly either.
To birth modern science Alchemy was stripped of the entire symbiotic metaphysical side of their knowledge. Science is half of what ancient knowledge was (and the great advances have been made only in this half)
@@hofmannwaves1525 don't care, my professor was based (and acidic, anfoteric even)
This was AWESOME!! Thanks for the history lesson. It tied so many things together that i had no idea were related.
The second half of the video was a race of how quickly I stop remembering any vague ideas from school chemistry
(On the level of "something named that way exists and thats that")
"Humankind cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange. In those days, we really believed that to be the world's one, and only, truth." Alphonse Elric... Sorry couldn't resist
Small note on the translation of al-qali (from a Maltese speaker), "qali" as a word means the product of frying/roasting.
Huh, I knew مقلي meant 'fried' and yet I never made the connection before. XD
@@weirdjest if you want another etymology rabbit hole look up how the word "alcohol" connects to makeup, the colour blue and plastering walls. It's also rooted in chemistry and alchemy ;)
See that was the one I DID know about. XD (Tho not the plaster part. I gotta look that up.) @@atrumluminarium
@@weirdjest In my language, because of how similar the act of applying plaster and applying makeup are, "kaħħal" is used as the verb "to plaster" and the noun "plasterer" (from كحّل and كحّال respectively I believe, my arabic is a bit rusty). Not sure if you use this word in this way too
It's kinda funny how most of the modern chemical vocabulary comes to us from arabic through the mispronounciations of medieval Europeans.
This was fantastic; thank you for sharing the results of your curiosity!
Thank you!
Awesome in every respect! There are people out here hungry for this knowledge, please make more videos on Alchemy. Would love to see your lab and learn how you created it. This is such an obscure subject to wade through, you demonstrated and compiled a great deal of info in a simple and clear manner. Major thanks to you sir, please be encouraged to share more!
Thank you! will do :)
So that pretty much confirms it then. Alchemy and Chemistry are one and the same - just different stages of development for the same study.
One particular UA-camr I've always been fascinated by is NileRed, and I always thought he captured the imaginative spirit of alchemists from ages past - and now I realize why. It's because he is an alchemist - just as they were chemists. It's the passion and the energy given to the craft that is rare to see in modern science.
I wouldn't say they're the same and do not look for the same thing exactly either.
To birth modern science Alchemy was stripped of the entire symbiotic metaphysical side of their knowledge. Science is half of what ancient knowledge was (and the great advances have been made only in this half)
Alchemy and Chemistry are separate things, chemistry basically arose as a thorough skeptical inquiry of alchemy where almost everything other than what definitely worked was thrown out and a new theory was developed from scratch in conjunction with the developments in physics. The important difference is methodological as chemistry relies on the scientific method and its process of systemic skepticism while alchemy didn't really have a clear methodology so often misinformation and myths stayed around. So alchemy is the pre-scientific ancestor of chemistry but there is a clear break in continuity with the middle stage usually being called chymistry. It's similar to the relationship of astrology of astronomy, where astrology is the pre-scientific ancestor to astronomy but the two are fundamentally different.
Alchemy was not only about making substances from others, but also about interaction between consciousness and matter ("inner alchemy" etc.) involving mystical experiences (not only chemically induced drug trips) with spiritual practices to purify ones soul in struggle for enlightenment. So it was not only a predecessor of chemistry in the modern sense.
"Al - Chemy" literally means "the Chemy", "Chemistry" means "practice of Chemy". Yes, they are the same. Of course, chemistry is the modernized version. "Chemy" in both instances is Egypt. So chemistry and alchemy are both the study of the practices of Egypt. Which just goes to show that Egypt is the granddaddy of chemistry.
Very interesting topic, I would also consider that, at least for the Romans, the process of qicklime production through calcination and then hydrating it to have slaked lime must've been very well known and characterized as it was used for the production of cement which they used in great quantities, also I'm pretty sure Vitruvius described it quite well
P.s. loved the ending and the passage about spectral signature, also the period when Alchemy becomes Chemistry (let's say around Lavoisier) is incredibly engaging as you see this scientist struggle with understanding the constituents of matter
oh yes! Great point. Quicklime was a popular technology, possibly one of humanities oldest chemical technologies! use of quicklime plaster has been evidenced at sites like Gobekli Tepe that predate the use of pottery even!
@@fraserbuilds whops, didn't thought you were that fast I might have lost the heart cause I edited the comment with this appreciation after watching the ending "loved the ending and the passage about spectral signature, also the period when Alchemy becomes Chemistry (let's say around Lavoisier) is incredibly engaging as you see this scientist struggle with understanding the constituents of matter"
@@fraserbuilds Quicklime was also used to disinfect and decompose corpses to fight diseases. Archeologists even found a Mesoamerican ancient culture that apparently generally dissolved their corpses using quicklime (which is in no way stranger than Tibetan vulture burials).
Really appreciate running down into the history of Chemistry ! Great video learned a lot (:
Hey, this video kept me hooked every second, the whole way. Thanks for that; my life is too stressful and this was wonderful.
Hey man amazing video looks amazing
A show I think you would like is called rough science
Thanks!
@@fraserbuilds no problem
Its so interesting how they were basically right about transmutation, obviously their methods weren't right, but it's technically possible to transform one element into another with today's modern technology. Albeit it takes alot of energy and isn't really worth it... still possible though.
It's been a while since I've eagerly taken notes while watching a youtube video. I've always had an interest in alchemy but it's been really hard to get into as complete lay person, especially as it can be hard to tell from just looking online which sources are credible and which ones are modern re-inventions. This video is exactly what I needed! I'm very much looking forward to more alchemy content from you :D
Thank you! :) Thats exactly why I made the video. Working on more atm!
love the alchemy stuff! Would be interesting to see more about the philosophers stone
1:47 "FOUL TARNISHED! In search of Elden Ring..."
Joke aside, thank you very much for this insightful upload!
This feels uncannily familiar
how so?
@@fraserbuilds I'm not sure. Maybe just a slew of common cultural motifs representing a few alchemical principles in different (sometimes obscure) ways are setting off fireworks in my head. But the whole video is giving me an uncanny feeling of deja vu, like I was familiar with some of the aspects of alchemy before (as goofy as that thought is)
Ah I see! in some way the art is calling out to you! Ive met alot of artists who get that sense from their craft. what causes it I cant say, but I certainly feel it with alchemy and with chemistry in general. something about it just fits, feels like home :)
@@fraserbuilds You could be right. I'd be a liar if I didn't say this entire video was completely captivating for me. Even though you kept saying "don't try this at home", after about half the video I had an insatiable craving to tarnish my silver anyway. I even considered buying that book you introduced, and the last time I ever bought a book was to study foraging when I was young just to save grocery money
@@poolofbile6409I had a really strong episode of déjà vu when he was drawing the wet dry hot cold star with chalk. Haven’t had one in a while.
This is so cool, I have always wondered what alchemy would look like, and now I know. Thanks for creating this channel. it's very helpful for my creative writing. ☕️
I love that so much! glad to be of help!
What an incredible video!! Thank you for sharing! ✨
New Fraser video ! Yeeeeehaaaa !