A.1 Elements Known in Antiquity

A.1 Elements Known in Antiquity

Antiquity is, of course, a loose concept and, therefore, this heading under which we discuss several chemical elements is, to a great extent, arbitrary, though it has been widely used in history. This chapter deals with elements (mainly, metals) the use of which is either mentioned in various written sources of the distant past or can be established from the archaeological data.

The use of the term "discovery" is in this case quite arbitrary. Historically speaking, principal characters of this chapter were recognized as independent chemical elements relatively recently. A description of the early history of the elements of antiquity will of necessity have to pass over in silence the dates and the authors of the discoveries. Therefore, the manner of presentation of material in this chapter is rather unusual. It will be a short report on these elements and their application in the distant past.

The chapter is devoted to seven metals of antiquity: gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, and mercury—the "magnificent seven" of metals that played a tremendous role both in the development of civilization and in various schools of natural philosophy. We shall tell you about sulphur, which was widely used long before our time, and about carbon. It may well be that carbon is the oldest chemical element known to mankind. Therefore, we shall begin the history of chemical elements with carbon.

Sometimes zinc, platinum, antimony, and bismuth are also said to be known in antiquity but there is no definite proof of that.