Magical Papyri

Betz, Hans Dieter, ed.The Greek magical papyri in translation, including Demotic spells.. ... 

Kiessling, Nicolas K. Review of The Greek magical papyri in translation, including Demotic spells, by Hans Dieter Betz. In Cauda Pavonis 16, no. 1 (Spring 1996) 16.. ... 

The same Identification occurs in the Greek Magical Papyri see PGM 1.74-76. On Philo s cosmology VitMos. 1.12 Conf. 5. 

Betz, Hans-Dleter, ed. The Greek Magical Papyri in Translation. 2nd ed. Chicago University of Chicago Press, 1992. 

Berthelot, from the study of the Leyden papyrus and of other contemporaneous papyri of a nonchemical nature, concludes that the arts of magic and of these chemical arts were practiced by the same persons, though in both these manuscripts the text is free from magical or mystical content. If true, this fact would have very interesting bearing upon the mystical character of the works of later alchemists. 

Democritus is frequently cited by Pliny in connection with magical arts, and Democritus is a name high in authority with later alchemists. It is interesting to note that in the Stockholm papyrus, one recipe which seems to be a process for purifying copper by fusing with alum and salt is described as having been ascribed by Anaxilaus to Democritus. 

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