Medicine in early Graeco-Egyptian alchemical texts (1st-3rd century AD)

Graeco-Egyptian alchemical texts share two peculiar features : they focus on a broad array of dyeing techniques and include many references to contemporary medical writings and practices. Insofar, scholars have only cursorily hinted at these medical elements without investigating their relevance. In this paper, I shall explore these relationships between alchemy and medicine, by comparing the earliest alchemical texts both with contemporary pharmacological treatises and with some relevant papyri that may offer a significant insight on a set of common practices shared by ancient druggists, dyers, and metalworkers.