Graeco-Egyptian Alchemy

Volume five of the Catalogue des manuscrits alchimiques grecs (CMAG), published in 1928, was devoted to the manuscripts of Spain and those held in the libraries of Athens. In its second part, compiled by Albert Severyns, five manuscripts were listed, in total. Only three of them were described.

The present publication lists and describes a large number of manuscripts, currently held in Greek libraries, which were not included in the 5th volume of CMAG. It also provides a new description of the three manuscripts described by Severyns. In addition to manuscript descriptions, it contains an Appendix, which offers the full transcription of short unpublished tracts, tables, variant readings from the printed editions, and other items that might prove useful for the history of alchemy.

Besides being a de facto supplement to CMAG, this catalogue may contribute to the current revival of interest in the history of Graeco-Egyptian alchemy. It brings to light primary sources, previously unnoticed, that are valuable pieces in the dynamic mosaic of a field of knowledge, i.e. alchemy, the historical mutations of which had considerable impact on the evolution of a variety of other disciplines, ranging from metallurgy to philosophy and medicine

Vangelis Koutalis, Department of Chemistry, University of Ioannina, Greece.