The Misunderstood History of Alchemy

We've all heard of alchemy in the realm of sorcery and the occult, but the true history is a different story. Come learn with me about the ancient history of this misunderstood science, and some myths we can debunk!

I'm on TikTok @ kazrowe

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Sources

Visualization in Medieval Alchemy by Barbara Obrist

Alchemy and Christianity in the Middle Ages by Zachary A. Matus

What Is (Was) Alchemy? By A. Tramer, R. Voltz, F. Lahmani and J. Szczepinska-Tramer

Views on History in Medieval Alchemical Writings by Barbara Obrist

Alchemy and Chemistry in the 16th and 17th Centuries edited by Piyo Rattansi, Antonio Clericuzio

The Englishing of Medieval Alchemy by Jennifer M. Rampling

”A Brief History of Alchemy,” by Curtis Runstedler in Alchemy and Exemplary Poetry in Middle English Literature

From Alchemy to Chemistry by John Read

What Have We Learned from the Recent Historiography of Alchemy? By William R. Newman

Chymistry (Alchemy/Chemistry) by Dóra Bobory in the Encyclopedia of Early Modern Philosophy and Sciences

Technology and Alchemical Debate in the Late Middle Ages by William Newman

The Problem of the Origins of Alchemy by Tenney L. Davis

The Philosophers’ Stone - Alchemical Imagination and The Souls Logical Life by Stanton Marlan

[theily]

The irony is that if there was a way to mass produce gold (that didn’t involve platinum), the value of gold would plummet, rendering the entire endeavor fruitless.

[HeyLizardLeigh]

This video is driving me to the conclusion that our contemporary periodic table needs more vibes. suffering from an absolute dearth of vibes.

[jayy]

I saw Flamel at a grocery store in Paris yesterday. I told him how cool it was to meet him in person, but I didn’t want to be a douche and bother him and ask him for photos or anything. He said, “Oh, like you’re doing now?” I was taken aback, and all I could say was “Huh?” but he kept cutting me off and going “huh? huh? huh?” and closing his hand shut in front of my face. I walked away and continued with my shopping, and I heard him chuckle as I walked off. When I came to pay for my stuff up front I saw him trying to walk out the doors with like fifteen Milky Ways in his hands without paying.
The girl at the counter was very nice about it and professional, and was like “Sir, you need to pay for those first.” At first he kept pretending to be tired and not hear her, but eventually turned back around and brought them to the counter.
When she took one of the bars and started scanning it multiple times, he stopped her and told her to scan them each individually “to prevent any electrical infetterence, ” and then turned around and winked at me. I don’t even think that’s a word. After she scanned each bar and put them in a bag and started to say the price, he kept interrupting her by yawning really loudly.

[mushmoonarts]

We HAVE actually been able to make gold. From lead. It's done in a particle accelerator and costs insanely large amounts of money to create tiny amounts of gold, BUT ALCHEMY IS REAL WE DID IT!!!! also, it's hard to critique the old alchemists when we have lab made diamonds, obviously it's not the same but it seems equally improbable unless you're a scientist

[AmAppleton]

Nicholas Flamel popped by for tea and watched the video with me. He doesn't have a YouTube account any more - got banned for trolling - but wants me to pass on that it definitely wasn't him all those people claim to have seen

[bred_toste_]

babe wake up, the esoteric history creature posted another video

[VultureSkins]

This’ll be a great listen for folding laundry today

[josiejosie]

Can I just say, I really appreciate the set dressing and costuming in all your videos. Thank you for putting in so much effort to make informative and aesthetically pleasing videos.

[edamamameU]

I have a very odd urge to rewatch Fullmetal Alchemist after this...(Parcelsus aka Philippus Aureolus Theophratsus Bombastus von Hohenheim had a bangin' name)

[mwatson]

i wonder if a lot of the popularity of alchemy among academics was like how research is now where the "alchemists" were looking for funding for their experiments and knew that getting people with money interested in more money was the way to get funding.

[mfuentes]

Thank you so much for donating to Feeding America so they can help with the current hurricane relief! As a Floridian who had to evacuate from Tampa in order to escape the wrath of Milton, it really means a lot.❤

[SkyeSoleil]

I read “The Alchemy of Paint” by Spike Bucklow and it’s a very interesting look at the intersection between creating artists’ pigments and alchemy. Artists had to follow certain alchemical practices to extract pigments. Like having to complete a certain series of tasks to extract ultramarine blue from lapis lazuli. There were even artists who wrote down their “recipes” for paint pigments but you’d have to know alchemy to be able to read it.

It was very interesting

[FloraAnneFauna]

i have dyslexia and I fully clicked on this video thinking it was about the academy of motion pictures and was really confused for about a minute

[shannonchristie-wickham]

Thank you for bringing awareness to the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene. I live just east of Asheville, we are ok, but so many aren't.
I love your videos, entertaining and educational!❤

[state_song_xprt]

It's really really funny that the true story of Nicholas Flamel is probably "Guy made a lot of money through inheritance and (possibly) land speculation, and for some reason a lot of people decide he's some kind of miracle worker."
What's even funnier is that this is also a decent summary of the last ten years of American politics.

[rachelpuckles]

I'm a simple gal. I see a new kaz rowe video, I watch while cutting up veggies for chicken noodle soup

[ethanstiles]

I love your videos and it’s cool to kinda see a crossover thematically with Esoterica. That’d be a cool collab someday

[marche]

This video is opening my eyes to the degree by which Alchemy influenced media. Fullmetal Alchemist in particular

[cennethadameveson]

Would you do a similar dive into the transition (transmutation?) of astrology into astronomy please.
After 450years Ive lost my frenxh accent but my dear wife still with her Parisian twang😅

[maliaisboring]

im literally in premed because i had an alchemy obsession and my 6th grade chemistry teacher showed me how alchemists were the ones who discovered things like mineral acids and phosphorus. its fascinating how they narrowed down their principles and 2/3 of them are like. essential to life. salt and sulfur ………