Science and Mathematics in Ancient Greek Culture EDITED BY Cc. J. TUPLIN and TE. RIMLL OXFORD ‘UNIVERSITY PRESS CNRS FR33. Bibliotheque 7 we Guy Méquet 94800 VILLEJUTE ‘TAL : 01 4958 3617OXFORD Ors Crem Sr, Oar for aac UsimiyProiadpumen he Uri Oi ‘Sleds bypeiusanywoloas ancl Debs Hong Kong Tecebl Ket eae uss Lampur Madrid Malboree Marco Cy Manat Nabi ‘Sis Pas Sangha Tape Taiyo Tora Over restr wae arf Oxo Unity Pres he UK andi cnn ober comune ‘by Oslerd Univer Pr ne, New York (© Ox Uninet r,s "Theor right ofthe astora have as ert Desert Ontoed Uninet Pres (rakes) sr No prof hia publeton ay be reproduced sored ina ro sytem teed a form seb nt a, “ms the ps potsn wer of Onord Unie Pre salir penile edi pe i tide the snp th above shea be et te Rahs Departments ‘Suord Unertey Prey ae addrnsbove nyu mrt ipous hee caon on 09s i aber Cgung ie Pbleson Data Lary of Congres Catling ie Peaon Data ISBN sess tae ial Editors’ Preface ‘Tuts pages that follow presenta selection of the papers read at a conference held in Liverpool in July 1996 under the title ‘Science Matters: The Role and Achievement of Science in Greek Antiquity’. A distinctive aim of the {gathering was to give an account of some of the achievements and limita- tions of ancient scientists which might be of value to mainstream classcists| and ancient historians, and to insist that Greek scientific endeavour was capable of interacting with the ‘ordinary’ world and represents a cultural phenomenon which deserves no less attention than traditional objects of respect such as literary or artistic creativity. ‘That the publication has been so long delayed is entirely due to one of the editors (Tuplin); and that it has none the less happened it entiely due to the other (Rill). The delinquent editor would like to offer heartfelt thanks to his colleague, both on his own behalf and on behalf of the other contributors, who have shown remarkable forbearance. Thanks ae also due to those at the Press who have seen this project through to completion; in particular, to Enid Barker and John Was, whose help and advice hive been. invaluable. ‘The success ofthe conference #8 a social and academic event owed much, not only to the enthusiasm of the participants, but also to the efforts of ‘Noreen Fox (co-organizer), the University of Liverpool Conference Office, and the staff of Derby & Rathbone Hall: warmest thanks are dee to all of them. Moreover, significant financial assistance was received from the Society for the Promotion of Hellenic Studies, the Classical Association, the Hellenic Foundation, the Wellcome Foundation, and the University ‘of Liverpool Research Development Fund, and for this we were, and are, extremely grateful. ‘Among those able to attend the conference was Lewis Wolpert—a di tinguished practitioner in the biological sciences but also (and mest rele- vantly here) a passionate believer both in the distinctiveness of science as an intellectual activity and in its importance as a component of cultural history—and itis a great pleasure that a brief Foreword from his pen stands at the head of our text. December 2001 cur. TER,17 Distilling, Sublimation, and the Four Elements: The Aims and Achievements of the Earliest Greek Chemists C. ANNE WILSON A Lance collection of chemical recipe texts has come down to us through the tenth-century manuscript Marcianus 299 and a number of later manu scripts now distributed through several European libraries.‘ The original texts date from the end of the first century nc tothe Byzantine period. They are notable because they appear to describe actual chemical experiments and reactions carried out with the objectof transforming the outward appearance of copper first ro silver, then to gold. Bu: the gold is not a realistic imita- tion designed to deceive the unwary, like the adulterated or imitation gold and silver of the recipes in the Egyptian goldsmiths’ notebooks of the third century Ap.* To determine what the experimenters were really trying to do, I shall first examine the theoretical background to the experiments; then I shall consider the role of distilling (the evsporating of liquids and collection of the recondensed vapour) and sublimation (the heating of minerals within sealed vessel to release gases which can react with other substances placed in the vessel). Finally I shall suggest that metalworkers already skilled in those technologies were among the founders of the chemical art, and shall discuss the significance to them of Democritus. 1. The Pvoveit xai yvoruxd: Physical Matters and Mystical Matters Phusika kai Mustika (hereafter PM), the earliest chemical text, belongs to the late first century Bc or early frst century aD, but itis believed to have ‘been recompiled from a text originally composed in Egypt about 200 5° ‘or not much later. Its supposed author was Democritus, often named sim- ply ‘the philosopher’, and stil regarded s founder of the chemical art by M. Berthelot, Colleton des acon clchimits rc (Paris, 1887-8; reps: London, 1963), ‘The 196 edition contain sparclypapinated sects ented Tnteducton “Tester and “Traductn’, disteibuedacrows thre volumes livaisons). Hereafer cited by author's name, * RHallex, Ler Alchimites grey, (Psi 1981), 84-109 and ttonsi forte > Resthelot, text mr, texte grec 41-52, raducon 43-57 Poel eee veson: Hllewr (2, 6; M. Welimann, Die Pha der Bales Donatos (Abhandlangen der prefiochen Alaidemie des Wisenschaften, phil-hist KL. 7; Bed, 1938), gee. The termina ae gem i Distilling, Sublimation, and the Four Elements 307 Zosinnus, who gathered a large number of existing chemical recipe texts into ‘an encyclopaedia about aD 300. But in the first century AD that art had become known to other groups, possibly because Anaxilaus of Thessaly had given a wider circulation to recipes hitherto kept secret. Recipe texts were produced which claimed other founders, including Hermes and Isis; and the chemical ar also passed to the Sethian Gnostics,* and to various Christian Gnostic sects. Basilides the Gnostic in the second century ap combined Zoroastrian and Christian teachings, and his followers first claimed Ostanes as founder of the chemical art, backing up their claim with forged texts bearing Ostanes’ name.® Our version of PM comprises recipes for the gold-tinting ard silver- tinting of metals, originally followed by two more sections for artificial gemstones and purple-dyeing,* but now simply preceded by a few purple- dycing recipes. Most ofthe many later texts are devoted to metal treatments, ‘buta few describe the production of Biov $8up (theion hudér: sulphur water), often used in gold-tinting recipes. The latest of all are commentaries rather ‘than instructions for practical metal-tinting. In practice the experiments began with a thin tablet of copper or an amalgam of four base metals including copper (called the rerpeaduar {etrasimata). It was treated by contact with various earths, erystaly liquids, compound pastes, or volatile metals such as mercury or arsenic, applied by ‘cooking, steeping, or simply prolonged juxtaposition. The base metal was silvered, and then tinted, often with sulphur-rich compounds, to change appearance to gold. But realism was not the primary objective. The work ‘was carried out, as explained in PM 15, as a ‘healing and release from all pain for the soul’ (ré rs buxis faye wal ravrés dxBov Aérpon). "The chemical art thus emerges as one of the new mystery cults of the Hellenistic age. In PM 3 Democritus, the supposed author, tells how through contact with a recently dead teacher and his living pupil (both unnamed: see below, . 311) he learnt how to harmonize the natures, and how the entire logos ‘could be summed up in three phrases: one nature delights in another nature, fone nature conquers another nature, one nature overrules another nature.” ‘The gold-tinting and silver-tinting recipes follow, and after each recipe appears one ofthe three phrases, literally as ‘the nature overrules the nature? etc., but usually translated as ‘one nature overrules another nature’ ete. ‘he ue of the phrase ‘oe nature i conquered by anothe?’ in the astrological bock The Revel tin of Nechpio and Pass (E Ries Neches Pei Prapmente Magica (Pilge, suppl 6 Gottingen, 1891-2), p37, 38=Flim. Mat Math, 4 10), dated about the mid-ad ‘ent neby A.J Peruse, La Rédation dermis Trios (Pi toe 94h 707, 238 + Seo Hippo. Ref. 2 forthe Shins and thee ‘tof seperation’ 1 CA. Wila, PhibtphersJoat and Water af Life (Pro: Lends Phil and Lit See, Lit snd His. Secon, 10.5; Letdy 1984), 54-5 = 160-1. On Ostanes se alo belom ta Sul prennt in the 4h cet xo and flr to by Symes so Berton tx 3-1 dons foe rowers nal § fs re iu vcd wal} Go ry Sw apart