Pseudo-Democritus is the name used by scholars for the anonymous authors of a number ofGreek writings that werefalsely attributed to thepre-Socratic philosopherDemocritus (c. 460–370 BC).
Several of these writings, most notably the lost worksOn Sympathies and Antipathies andArtificial Substances (Greek:Cheirokmēta), were probably written by thePythagorean physician and pharmacologistBolos of Mendes (fl. 3rd or 2d century BC).[1]
There are also a number of extant Greekalchemical writings attributed to Democritus, whose author has sometimes likewise been identified as Bolos of Mendes,[2] but who is now thought to have been an anonymous author active during the second half of the first century AD, most likely c. 54–68 AD.[3] These writings are some of the oldest alchemical works in existence, and have played an important role in defining alchemy as a discipline. In their original form, they probably consisted of a series of four books ondyeing: two books on dyeing metals gold and silver, one on dyeing stones, and one on dyeing wool purple. They were highly regarded by laterGreek alchemists, who cited them frequently and even wrote a number of commentaries on them.
The alchemical works of pseudo-Democritus are also responsible for popularizing the aphorism attributed to the legendary Persian alchemistOstanes,Nature delights in nature, nature conquers nature, nature masters nature, which went on to become an often repeated quote among later alchemists.
The original alchemical works attributed to Democritus, known as theFour Books, are now lost.[4] However, severalepitomized extracts of them survive in two extant treatises calledNatural and Secret Questions (Greek:Physika kai Mystika) andOn the Making of Silver (Greek:Peri asēmou poiēseōs), as well as in a collection of lists of alchemical substances calledCatalogues (Greek:Katalogoi).[5] The original books dealt with a wide range of topics, including thetransmutation ofbase metals into silver or gold, the artificial production ofprecious stones, and the purple-dyeing ofwool, all of which are subjects also covered in theStockholm andLeyden papyri (3rd century AD). However, the preserved parts focus more strongly on the production of silver and gold, thus reflecting the main interests of later Greek alchemists.[6]
The original works were probably four books on dyeing: one on how to give base metals a yellow tinge (i.e., to 'dye' them gold), one on how to give base metals a white tinge (i.e., to 'dye' them silver), one on 'dyeing' stones (i.e., to create precious stones), and one on dyeing fabrics purple (using cheaper substitutes for the costlyTyrian purple).[7]
TheFour Books are some of the most ancient works known in Western alchemy, and played a central role in its earliest development. They were frequently cited by alchemists such asZosimos of Panopolis (fl. c. 300 AD) andSynesius (c. 373–414 AD), as well as by laterByzantine writers such aspseudo-Olympiodorus,Stephanus, Christianus, and 'the philosopher Anonymous'.[8] Their authority among later Greek alchemists was such that the latter often presented their own theories and practices as an interpretation of theFour Books.[9]
Some Greek alchemists also wrote commentaries on theFour Books. One such commentary, calledDemocritean Commentaries and written by the alchemist Petasius, is now lost. However, another commentary, calledThe Philosopher Synesius to Dioscorus: Notes on Democritus' Book, is still extant.[10]
One aphorism that is often repeated throughout theFour Books, and often quoted by later writers, is as follows:[11]
Greek:῾Η φύσις τῇ φύσει τέρπεται, καὶ ἡ φύσις τὴν φύσιν νικᾷ, καὶ ἡ φύσις τὴν φύσιν κρατεῖ (Hē physis tēi physei terpetai, kai hē physis tēn physin nikai, kai hē physis tēn physin kratei)
Translation:Nature delights in nature, nature conquers nature, nature masters nature
Ascribed in the narrative of theFour Books to pseudo-Democritus' legendary Persian masterOstanes, it is supposed to summarize the entire teaching of Ostanes to pseudo-Democritus, encapsulating the fundamental rules by which the elements or natures of things combine.[12] This aphorism, which also occurs in a number of earlierHellenistic writings dealing with the concepts of sympathy and antipathy, links the pseudo-Democritean writings back to earlier works attributed to 'Persian' authors such aspseudo-Zoroaster and Ostanes, as well as to the works of Bolos of Mendes.[13]
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