Zosimos of panopolis biography for kids

There are myriad facets to Zosimos’s work. From his fascination with the interaction of vapours and solids to his exploration of the divine, his areas of interest are wide and varied, including:

Transmutation

Material conversion of metals was a central aspect of the work of Zosimus.

He focused on turning what he called the “Four Metals” of lead, copper, tin and iron into silver and gold.

Zosimos of panopolis biography for kids youtube

However, in reality, what he did was create tinted metal alloys that resembled the colour of gold. He may have even considered these better than the real thing, as some were even yellower. As part of this, Zosimos showed particular interest in how vapours interact with solids, drawing on observations from ancient craftsmanship, such as the use of cadmia vapours to turn copper into brass, or mercury and arsenic vapours to give copper a silvery appearance.

The Four Elements

The elements of fire, water, earth and air were at the heart