A Cultural History Of Chemistry Volume Volume 1: In Antiquity

This open access bookA Cultural History of Chemistry in Antiquity covers the period from 3000 BCE to 600 CE, ranging across the civilizations of the Mediterranean and Near East. Over this long period, chemical artisans, recipes, and ideas were exchanged between Mesopotamia, Egypt, Phoenicia, Greece, Rome, and Byzantium. The flowering of alchemy in the Middle and Early Modern Ages had its roots in the chemical arts of antiquity. This study presents the first synthesis of this epoch, examining the centrality of intense exchange and interconnectivity to the discovery and development of sources, techniques, materials, and instruments. The 6 volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume are theory and concepts; practice and experiment; laboratories and technology; culture and science; society and environment; trade and industry; learning and institutions; art and representation. Marco Beretta is Professor of History of Science at the University of Bologna, Italy. Volume 1 in the Cultural History of Chemistry set. General Editors: Peter J. T. Morris, University College London, UK, and Alan Rocke, Case Western Reserve University, USA. The open access edition of this book is available under a CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 license on www.bloomsburycollections.com. Open access was funded by the European Research Council From prehistoric metal extraction to medieval alchemy to modern industry, chemistry has been central to our understanding and use of the physical world as well as to trade, warfare and medicine. In its turn, chemistry has been shaped by changing technologies, institutions and cultural beliefs. A Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first detailed and authoritative survey from antiquity to today, focusing on the West but integrating key developments in Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Arabic-Islamic and Byzantine empires. Chapter titles are identical across each of the volumes. This gives the choice of reading about a specific period in one of the volumes, or following a theme across history by reading the relevant chapter in each of the six. The themes (and chapter titles) are: Theory and Concepts; Practice and Experiment; Sites and Technology; Culture and Knowledge; Society and Environment; Trade and Industry; Learning and Institutions; Art and Representation. The six volumes cover: 1 - Antiquity (3,000 BCE to 600 CE); 2 - Medieval Age (600 to 1500); 3 - Early Modern (1500 to 1700); 4 - Eighteenth Century (1700 to 1815); 5 - Nineteenth Century (1815 to 1914); 6 - Modern Age (1914 to the Present). The page extent for the pack is 1728pp. Each volume opens with an Introduction and concludes with Notes, Bibliography, and an Index.0A Cultural History of Chemistry is part of The Cultural Histories Series. Titles are available both as printed hardcover sets for libraries needing just one subject or preferring a one-off purchase and tangible reference for their shelves, or as part of a fully-searchable digital library available to institutions by annual subscription or on perpetual access (see www.bloomsburyculturalhistory.com) Cover 1 Contents 6 List of Illustrations 8 Series Preface 11 Acknowledgements 13 Introduction Marco Beretta 14 1 Theory and Concepts: The Mythological Foundation of Chemical Theories in Ancient Civilizations Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 36 2 Practice and Experiment: The Conquest of Matter Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 64 3 Laboratories and Technology: From Temples to Workshops: Sites of Chemistry in Ancient Civilizations Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 98 4 Culture and Science: Gods, Myths, and Religions Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 126 5 Society and Environment: The Alteration of the Ancient Landscape Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 152 6 Trade and Industry: The Circulation of Trade in the Mediterranean Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 174 7 Learning and Institutions: The Invention of Chemical Recipes Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 200 8 Art and Representation: The Iconographic Imprinting of Ancient Chemical Arts Sydney H. Aufrère, Cale Johnson, Matteo Martelli, and Marco Beretta 224 Bibliography 249 List of Contributors 299 Index 300 The volume set of the Cultural History of Chemistry presents the first comprehensive history from the Bronze Age to today, covering all forms and aspects of chemistry and its ever-changing social context. The themes covered in each volume and theory and concepts ; practice and experiment ; laboratories and technology ; culture and science ; society and enviroment ; trade and industry ; learning and institutions ; art and representation