Alchemy

Author: sopio Jalaghania
Keywords: Alchemy, philosophic stone
Annotation:

Abstract The paper discusses the history of the origin of alchemy, legends and other opinions about it, as well as the worldview of alchemists. That their doctrine was of a particularly mystical and occult nature. Through magical spells and rituals, they sought to achieve ideal health and eternal life by influencing natural phenomena. In their opinion, such a purpose must have been a special substance - the philosophical stone (in the search of which all alchemists were engaged), which would have given human eternal youth. The paper also mentions a number of symbols (in connection with metals - astrology or the initial elements, as well as signs of the end of glorious deeds, chemical processes or various chemicals) and their explanations used by alchemists to prevent the outside eye from reaching their thoughts and purposes. Alchemy was known in different cultures. Modern historiography is familiar with Egyptian, Hellenistic, Byzantine, Western European, Arabic, Indian, and Chinese alchemistry. The topic discusses the path of different alchemists and the results achieved by them, as well as what role these experiments played in shaping chemistry as a science. Alchemists continued their activities in the XVI-XVIII centuries, although the popularity of alchemistry fells during this period. It is difficult to determine the boundary between when alchemy ended and the development of chemistry as a scientific field based on rationalism began. Alchemy has played an important role in the development of science (although there are differences of opinion on this issue). Alchemy assimilated and refined in different ways the different cults and doctrines of the Hellenistic period, thus becoming one of the most interesting events in the cultures of the Late Neolithic era and the Middle Ages.