gems, ancient lapidaries, Ibn Sina, Arabic science, early lapidaries

Anawati examines Avicenna’s relationship to alchemy and the question of whether alchemical writings traditionally attributed to him are authentic. Drawing upon Arabic texts and the medieval transmission of Avicenna’s works, he distinguishes Avicenna’s own views from those contained in pseudonymous writings associated with his name. Particular attention is given to Avicenna’s criticism of claims that alchemical operations could accomplish genuine transmutation of one species of metal into another, while acknowledging the possibility of altering superficial qualities such as color and appearance. Anawati places these views within the broader history of Arabic alchemy and discusses their transmission into the Latin West, where Avicenna became an important authority in medieval debates over the possibility of metallic transmutation.