Archaeology, Conservation Science and the History of Chemistry
Materials and practices have now established themselves as primary sources of information in the historiography of science. This is especially the case of the early modern period, as more material remains are generally available in the archaeological record and museum collections. Moreover, this is also the time when artisanal practices merge with natural philosophy as an approach to understanding and manipulating nature. It is now commonplace for science historians to address questions around the practical side of “doing chymistry”, making use of material sources to explore knowledge-making issues, and tackle the history of alchemy and chemistry from different points of view. As a result, we witness increasing collaborations between historians and material culture experts. As the essays collected here show, Ambix traditionally provided a welcoming and stimulating environment for such cross-fertilisation, called for by Jennifer Rampling and put into practice by a host of scholars from different disciplines. Building on Lawrence Principe’s seminal work on glass of antimony, some of the authors re-worked chymical procedures to shed light on the chemical knowledge of the practitioners and investigate the material and sensorial landscape of chymical activities. Parallel to this, the work of Marcos Martinón-Torres inaugurated a markedly archaeological approach, whereby the scientific analysis of laboratory remains are framed within broader issues of chymical practice in early modern Europe. Regardless of the specific point of entry, the following essays place materials centre stage. They highlight how chymical knowledge was created through practice and the ways in which it was carried out in various places by individuals with often very different aims. Ultimately, these essays illustrate how integrating archaeological perspectives into current historiography allows scholars to do justice to such diversity, while also widening the scope of both disciplines.
Edited by
Dr Umberto Veronesi(VICARTE Research Unit, Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University of Lisbon)
Sponsored by