Question by m: what was the job of the alchemist in the elizabethan times?
can u also tell me what an alchemist is, im soo confused
Best answer:
Answer by magika84
The word alchemy comes from the Arabic al-kimia: “the art of transformation.” So basically the profession was all about turning one unimportant or common thing into something infinitely more usuful, and also gaining an understanding about nature and the world while you’re at it.
Alchemists were kinda like scientists, but their goals were a little more far-out than the goals of most scientists. Historically, they were primarily concerned with turning base metals (iron, copper, etc) into gold, creating the elixir of life (aka a potion to make you imortal) and creating a universal solvent (aka something that would disolve anything). They also spent a lot of time looking for the philosopher’s stone which was considered to be an important component for one or more of these other goals. It was rumoured to amplify the alchemical knowledge of an alchemist so they could solve any problem.
Eventually the profession of alchemy kinda evolved into chemistry… they dropped the ‘magical’ aspect of it and stuck with the physical reaction part of it.
Hope that helps!
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