Alchemy dates back to ancient Egypt, where the word ‘Khem’ was used to reference the fertility of the land after the Nile flooded. Many Greek philosophers became interested in alchemy when Alexander the Great conquered Egypt in 332 BC. The Greek views on matter being made up of four elements of nature were mixed with the Egyptian arts, turning ‘Khem’ into ‘Khemia’, which was the Greek word for Egypt. In the 7th century, when the Arabs conquered Egypt, they added ‘al-’ to Khemia, making ‘al-Khemia’ which means ‘the Black Land’. Not much more is known about the early history of alchemy because when Alexandria was invaded, the great library was burned and many alchemical works were burned.
Another reason why it was so hard to figure out anything about the works of most alchemists is that …show more content…
The Philosopher’s Stone is thought to be a bright red powder or stone that was capable of turning stones that did not have a lot of value into gold. It is also said to contain the Elixir of Life, capable of making people immortal. Nikolas Flannel, a well-known alchemist, was said to have found and created the Philosopher’s Stone, yet it was never proven if he really did or not. There are multiple stories around the Philosopher’s Stone, yet there has still never been proof that the Philosopher’s Stone really exists. Even if alchemists didn’t succeed in finding the Philosopher’s Stone, they still did make a lot of physical, chemical, and medical discoveries that are still highly useful to this