Alchemical Practice: Looking Towards the Chemical Humanities

Abstract

This special issue of Ambix is an outgrowth of the Tenth Annual Postgraduate Workshop titled "Society and the Creation of (al)Chemical Knowledge" hosted by the Embassy of the Free Mind in Amsterdam, 29-30 November 2019. This meeting of early career scholars with a shared interest in the history of alchemy and chemistry illustrated the diversity of methodological approaches that contribute to this subfield. Alchemical knowledge, created through practice, language, and material culture, has permeated society since the ancient world. Adepts and laity alike learned to navigate and appropriate the seemingly paradoxical hermetic language and images of alchemy, applying them to an array of societal needs that span time and place. The editorial essay to this special issue of Ambix considers alchemical knowledge-creation through the social lens of language and practice and proposes the inclusive concept of the "Chemical Humanities" to address the variation within alchemical practice and the diverse scholarly research methodologies presented in this special issue. We examine the history of chemistry using approaches from the humanities, arts, and sciences and consider the effects of interdisciplinary research today and for the future of alchemical scholarship.

Proceedings of the 6th International Conference on Historical Cryptology HistoCrypt 2023

“…Alchemical ciphers manifest in diverse forms and complexities, ranging from basic to highly intricate, with some accompanied by their cipher tables and keys, while others are designed to conceal content effectively. Instances where cipher tables seem intentionally corrupted to hinder decryption are notable (Piorko et al, 2023), requiring additional knowledge to rectify such manipulations. The practices of alchemical ciphering likely drew from standard ciphering methods in correspondence and diplomacy, particularly evident in ciphers found in letters, suggesting a cultural overlap with diplomatic or political practices.…”

“…Alchemists and chymists traditionally used a whole range of methods to hide their knowledge from the uninitiated, often employing multiple layers of technologies of textual concealment. Alchemical secrecy devices can include, but are not limited to, the following types: Decknamen and specialist terminology (Newman, 1996), word/name substitution (Principe, 1992), dispersion of knowledge (dispersio) across multiple sources (Principe, 1992, 65), parathesis and syncope (Newman, 1996), monoalphabetic ciphers (Principe, 1992, 67), polyalphabetic ciphers (Bean et al, 2022), trade symbols and codes (Gaede, 2017), alphanumeric knowledge charts (Forshaw, 2005;Clucas, 2017), astrological horoscopes (Piorko et al, 2023), cabbalistic mysticism (Forshaw, 2013, Lullian diagrams (Forshaw, 2013), emblems (Bilak, 2020), (mythoalchemical) allegory (Forshaw, 2020), omitted or enciphered publication information (Purš and Hausenblasová, 2005;Piorko, 2019), pseudonomia (Newman, 1991) or even the use of multiple languages (Principe, 1992).…”

“…The decryption results of an early example of a Bellaso/Porta/Vigenère cipher outside of contemporary cipher manuals indicates specific alchemical secrecy techniques embedded in alchemical scribal culture and textual recipe traditions (Piorko et al, 2023). The discovery and subsequent decryption of the polyalphabetic Bellaso cipher in Sloane MS 1902 published by Bean et al ( 2021) is a notable and early instance of this style of encipherment that illustrates the deep knowledge networks inherent in copying, decrypting, and circulating alchemical secrets in the form of a specific encrypted message: Hermeticae Philosophiae Medulla.…”

“…From a late 15th-century German medical book. Bean et al, 2022;Piorko et al, 2023), containing the ciphertext Hermeticae Philosophiae Medulla, adjacent tabula recta, and cipher key (ff. 12-14).…”

“…Sloane MS 3687: Contains the alchemical processes of George Marrowe and others mentioned in Sloane MS 1902 related to the Medulla cipher (Piorko et al, 2023). After Villanova is referenced, the rest of the MS contains laboratory notes that include numeric ciphers referencing encrypted days of the week.…”