On the Tribikos and the TubeΠερὶ τοῦ τριβίκου καὶ τοῦ σωλῆνος
Zosimus of Panopolis On the Tribikos and the Tube PDF
"On the Tribikos and the Tube" is a technical treatise on alchemical apparatus written in Greek around 300 CE by Zosimus of Panopolis. The work functions as a practical manual detailing the construction and operation of two essential pieces of laboratory equipment: the tribikos, a three-armed distillation still, and the tube, a component likely serving as a condenser or receiving vessel. The text provides precise instructions regarding the required materials, specific dimensions, and proper assembly of these devices, which were fundamental for processes of purification and substance transformation in alchemical practice.
The treatise survives within the larger corpus of Greek alchemical writings, preserved primarily in Byzantine manuscripts. It exemplifies the practical, workshop-oriented dimension of late antique alchemy, reflecting a synthesis of Egyptian craft traditions with Hellenistic technical knowledge. Scholars regard the work as an instructional guide for contemporary practitioners, aimed at standardizing the complex apparatus necessary for experiments central to alchemical theory, particularly those concerning metals. While Zosimus authored more philosophical and mystical alchemical texts, this treatise underscores the critical importance of technical craftsmanship and reproducible equipment in the early development of chemical science.
| 1 | Περὶ τοῦ τριβίκου καὶ τοῦ σωλῆνος Ἑξῆς δὲ τὸν τρίβικόν σοι ὑπογράψω· καλεῖται δὲ αὕτη ἡ δι’ ἀσκίου ἡ παρὰ Μαρίας τεχνοπαράδοτος. Ἔχει δὲ οὕτως· ποίησον, φησίν, ἐκ χαλκοῦ ἐλατοῦ σωλῆνας τρεῖς—λεπτὸν τὸ ἔλασμα, ἔχον ἠθμοῦ πάχος ἢ μικρὸν παχύτερον, ὡσεὶ χαλκοῦ τηγάνου πλακουντηρίου— μῆκος πήχεως ἑνὸς ἡμίσους. Ποίησον οὖν σωλῆνας τρεῖς τοιούτους. Καὶ ποίησον χαλκεῖον μακρὸν πήχεως ἔχον τὸ μῆκος παρὰ παλαιστήν· ἄνοιγμα δὲ τοῦ χαλκείου σύμμετρον. Οἱ δὲ τρεῖς σωλῆνες ἐχέτωσαν τὸ ἄνοιγμα οἷον τραχήλου βίκου κούφου †ἡλάριον†· τοῦ δὲ ἀντίχειρος δύο εἶναι λιχανοὺς αὐτοῦ ταῖς δυσὶ χερσὶ συναρηρότας ἐκ πλευρῶν τοῦ χαλκείου περὶ τὸν πυθμένα· ἐν ᾧ πυθμένι τρεῖς τρῶγλαι προσαρμόζουσαι τοῖς σωλῆσι καὶ ἁρμοσθέντες προσκολλάσθωσαν παραδόξως τοῦ ἄνωθεν πνεῦμα ἔχοντος. Καὶ ἐπιθεὶς τὸ χαλκεῖον ἐπάνω λοπάδος ὀστρακίνης ἐχούσης τὸ θεῖον, συμπεριπηλώσας τὰς συμβολὰς στέατι ἄρτου, ἔνθες ἐπὶ τὰ ἄκρα τῶν σωλήνων βίκους ὑαλίνους μεγάλους παχεῖς ἵνα μὴ ῥαγῶσιν ἀπὸ τῆς θέρμης τοῦ ὕδατος κομιζούσης τὸ ἀναβαῖνον· τὸ δὲ σχῆμα τοῦτο· [λιχανὸς σωλήν]. Ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἄλλος τρόπος κομιδῆς ὕδατος θείου, ἀλλ’ οὐχ ὡς τρίβικος· ἔστω σωλὴν 〈εἷσ〉 εἰς πυθμένα χαλκείου ἐντεθειμένος μῆκος πήχεως ἑνὸς ἡμίσους· τῷ αὐτῷ τρόπῳ καὶ βῖκος εἷς καὶ ὑποκάτω λοπὰς θείου ἀπύρου, εἰς ἣν συναρμόζει τὸ χαλκεῖον καὶ περιπήλου στέατι ἢ κηρῷ ἢ πηλῷ ἢ ὡς βούλει καὶ καύσας ἀνάσπα. |
| 2 | Οἱ δὲ τύποι οὗτοι. |