No one really knows when alchemy began.  Theories range from the Annunaki giving it to the Sumerians, Creator God teaching it to Adam (or Moses) to nefarious deals made with the devil.  All we really know is that where there are symbols you can find alchemy represented.  Our clearest records correspond to the written record and continue through alchemy's decline after the Renaissance.  Prior to the advent of "modern science" the alchemist was the exclusive source of pharmacopeia.  It is the precursor of chemistry, medicine and biology.  In essence, it is the beginning of all science.  Alchemy was a true laboratory science.  The historic record is resplendent with artifacts, art, manuals and texts that demonstrate the elaborate laboratories of the past.  Alchemy was also an esoteric science, concerning itself with the nature of reality, the great mysteries of this realm and consciousness itself.  I would sum it up by calling it the study of the forces we cannot see, or the forces of Nature. When the Greeks arrived in Egypt they observed the priesthood conducting alchemy and dubbed it Khemia, the black art, from the word Khem or black earth, (what they called Egypt)and it is where our modern word chemistry comes from.  The Egyptians used alchemy as both a material and spiritual modality, as both components were present in the mechanics of their preparations.  The Alexandrian period brought philosophers, alchemists, magicians and scholars from around the world together during the reign of the Ptolemies.  The Great Library at Alexandria housed these collective works, even after much of it was destroyed by the Roman invasion around 30 BC.  The remainder of the collection was destroyed between 290-325 AD by Roman leaders fearing that the mysteries recorded would allow their enemies to amass large quantities of gold and amass an army to defeat them.  This, coupled with the adoption of Christianity as the state religion (alchemy was considered heresy and punishable by death), drove the remaining practitioners of Khemia to Arab lands out of the reach of Rome.  It was there, in Persian territory, that the Arabic prefix Al was added to create the Al-Chemy we know today. https://cailleacrone.com/understanding-alchemy/ to print the transcript / blog post or grab the chart ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SvcoZYLUheA

Sacred Sciences of the Ancient Philosophers used to discover who you are, why you are here and what this place is that we call Earth. #sacredscience #divination #alchemicalastrology #alchemy #astrology #geomancy #sophology #symbology #numerology #morphology #wisdom #thegreatwork #pneumatology #spiritbeings #autology ... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMyosvwy_MU