gems, mineral nomenclature, mineral names, history of mineralogy

Goltz traces the history and changing meanings of mineral names used in pharmacy, chemistry, and medicine from antiquity through the Middle Ages to Paracelsus. The study examines how names for minerals, stones, ores, salts, earths, and related substances were transmitted through Greek, Latin, Arabic, and medieval European traditions, and how changes in terminology reflected changing ideas about the identity, properties, and medicinal or chemical uses of mineral substances. Particular attention is given to the problems created when historically identical names were applied to different materials, or different names to substances later recognized as identical. By combining philological analysis with the history of pharmacy, medicine, alchemy, and early chemistry, the work provides an important reference for interpreting mineral and gemstone terminology in ancient and medieval texts and for understanding the development of mineral nomenclature before the emergence of modern mineralogy.