Alchemy texts archives - Zozimos

Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998
From Nicolay V. Tsarevsky

This is my first letter to this Forum. Recently I read a very short passage from a work of Zosimos. I think (this is my own interpretation) that it is about the preparation of sulfuric acid from blue or green vitriol. If someone is interested in this "prescription", I will translate it (it is in Russian) and will send him/her this text. Can anybody tell me something more about Zosimos and his works? I could not find any work of Zosimos in the Alchemy web site.

Best wishes,
Nicolay

From: Leonid M. Kokun
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 98

Dear Nikolay,
You will find the original (i.e. Greek) text, its French translation, and commentaries in: "Les alchimistes grecs" t.IV, by "Les Belles Lettres". I suppose the book is still on sale; it costs 395Fr.
There are also some excerpts in Berthelot's "Les origines de l'alchimie" which is now also on sale in Germany; it costs 78DM.

Good luck

Leo Kokun

P.S. I plan to place some fragments of Zosimos (in Greek) on my web page, but it will be accessible not earlier than in October.

From: Stanislas Klossowski de Rola
Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998

Zozimos of Panapolis, near Thebes in Egypt, is the oldest known historical figure in the complex history of Alchemy. He was active according to Marcellin Berthelot in the Third Century of our Era.

I would recommend that you look up - if you can find it - Jack Lindsay's remarkable "The Origins of Alchemy in Graeco-Roman Egypt" London 1970 Chapter 15 p.323-357. I also would equally recommend Berthelot's "Les Origines de L'Alchimie" Paris 1885 reprinted in 1938. Better still - if you can find it - Berthelots' "Collection des Anciens Alchimistes Grecs" Paris 1888. The whole of the Third Part of Volumes 2 and 3 pages 117-252 are dedicated to Zozimos. (The Greek texts are in Volume 2 and their French translation in Volume 3, the pagination is identical in both volumes). Furthermore there are numerous references to Zozimos in C.G. Jung's Works for instance See: "The Visions of Zozimos" in "Alchemical Studies" London 1968 pages 57-108.

Best regards.

Stanislas Klossowski de Rola

From: Jeffrey
Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998

In addition to the works mentioned, 'On the Letter Omega' by Zosimos was published by Scholar's Press.

Jeff

Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998
From: Claude Gagnon

In a recent chronology, Jean Letrouit has many interesting remarks on Zozime.

cfr. *Chronologie des alchimistes grecs*, in Alchimie; art, histoire et mythe, Milan, Arche, 1995, p.11-93.

Claude Gagnon