The forerunner of chemistry seems to have started in Alexandria in the first century A.D., when Egyptian metallurgy was merged with Greek intellectual ideas and Middle Eastern religions' mysticism.
- From Egypt through Greece, Italy, the Muslim world, Spain, and the rest of Europe, alchemy was practiced.
- The earliest Chinese literature on alchemy is from the second century A.D. and is strongly connected to Taoism.
- Although alchemy started as a practical series of chemical processes based on known ideas of nature and matter, the mystically inclined soon developed alchemical beliefs centered on divine revelation, the search for the holy elixir, and the secret of immortality.
- Educated people like Roger Bacon believed in the transmutation of base metals into gold throughout the Middle Ages.
- According to history, more than one imposter has been killed for failing to produce the philosopher's stone.
You may also want to refer to my Comprehensive list of World Pagan Religious Terms And Concepts.
You may also want to read more about Paganism here.
Be sure to check out my writings on Religion here.