The project aims to structure the history of knowledge about early modern alchemy in terms of social history, conceptual history, discourse analysis and media history.

Approximately 90 sources were systematically analysed by looking at five aspects:

1) how alchemists saw themselves and their fellow alchemists; areas of contention
2) authorisation practices among authors, editors and publishers
3) the transformation of writing genres
4) the use of diagrams for terms and functional processes
5) the use of symbols

The study of aspects relating to cultural history has led the project team to locations as diverse as Venice, Florence, Wolfenbüttel, Kassel, Prague, Rome, Skokloster, London, Constantinople (Istanbul), the New World, Sulzbach, the Netherlands, Paris and Berlin.

PURL: http://diglib.hab.de/?link=091

Funding: DFG
Duration: May 2017 – (publication pending)
Project participants: Dr Ute Frietsch (team member), Maik Wackerhagen (student assistant)