corundum, history.1, Demigeron, gems

Halleux examines the transmission of the Alexandrian lapidary tradition into medieval Europe through texts associated with Damigeron, Evax, and Marbode. The study traces relationships among these lapidaries and investigates the survival and transformation of ancient traditions concerning stones, particularly their supposed medicinal, magical, and astrological properties. It considers the textual sources and transmission of this material from late antiquity into medieval Latin literature, showing how inherited knowledge about stones was adapted and reorganized by successive authors. The article is particularly relevant to the history of gemology for its analysis of the origins and development of medieval European beliefs concerning the properties and virtues of gemstones.