Greek alchemists at work: 'Alchemical laboratory' in the Greco-Roman Egypt

The paper focuses on the alchemical laboratory of ancient Greco-Egyptian alchemists, by taking into account especially the earliest alchemical texts (both in the Greek and in the Syriac tradition), ascribed to Pseudo-Democritus, Maria the Jewish and Zosimus. The fijirst part analyzes the possible relationships between the workshops of Egyptian craftsmen (fijirst of all, dyers, metals workers and glass workers) and the activity of the alchemists. The second part gives a general overview on the alchemical instruments described in the Corpus alchemicum. © Koninklijke Brill NV, Leiden, 2011