The Deadliest Lie

by June Trop

  I’ve also made a more complex still by inserting three copper tubes into an earthenware flask and sealing the joints with flour paste. And I’ve been mixing the juice of jellyfish with the gall of tortoises to enhance the luminosity of precious stones, all for the glory of G-d. May He continue to instruct me in His divine art while sheltering Noah under His heavenly wings.

  With gratitude to Our Creator,

  The seal of Miriam bat Isaac

  Alexandria ad Aegyptum

  Summer of the Seventh Year of the Reign of Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus [Claudius]

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  Author’s Note

  Maria Hebrea lived. I first encountered a reference to her work more than twenty years ago in a course on the historical development of concepts in chemistry. I wondered how a Jewish woman from Ancient Alexandria became the legendary founder of Western alchemy and held her place for 1500 years as the most celebrated woman of the Western World. Who was she, and what was her life like?

  And who were the early alchemists? I’d previously thought of them as inconsequential dreamers or misguided mystics—if not sorcerers or downright charlatans—attempting to do what anybody else should know was impossible. But if they were experimental scientists, then what theories guided their attempts to transmute base metals into silver and gold? These questions continued to intrigue me.

  I’ve called her Miriam bat Isaac, but no one knows what her name was or even when she lived. In fact, no one knows anything about her personal life except that she was a fervent Jewess (Patai, 1994). None of her contemporaries wrote about her or her work. We only know the theories and inventions other alchemists attributed to her long after her time. One such alchemist, Zosimos of Panopolis, who lived near the end of the third or the beginning of the fourth century and authored the earliest-known books on alchemy, cited her as the ultimate age-old authority (Leicester, 1971; Patai, 1994).

  In the alchemical literature, Maria Hebrea is also referred to as Mary the Jewess or Miriam the Prophetess, sister of Moses. Like her, all alchemists wrote under the name of a deity, prophet, or philosopher from an earlier time perhaps to enhance the authenticity of their claims or shield themselves from persecution. Although the tradition among all the crafts and mystical cults at the time was to guard the secrecy of their work, persecution was a real risk for alchemists.

  By the end of the third century, the work of the Alexandrian alchemists had become sufficiently well known for the falsification of gold to be regarded as a threat to the stability of the currency. Consequently, Emperor Diocletian ordered the burning of all alchemical books in 292 CE (Leiscester, 1971). And so the creative period of Alexandrian alchemy came to an end. Although the Arabs managed to rescue some of the books—they had long venerated Maria Hebrea and her alchemical theories—by the time the books had been copied, recopied, transmitted through the geographic expansion of the early Church, and rediscovered in the monasteries of medieval Europe, the lore had been reduced to charlatanism.

  Maria Hebrea lived in Alexandria, the center of Hellenistic culture, the intellectual melting pot of Greek philosophy, Eastern mysticism, and Egyptian technology. In Alexandria, the practical knowledge of metallurgists merged with the theories of Aristotle, in particular his theory of the Unity of Nature, the idea that all materials are composed of variant forms of the same vital substance. Accordingly, alchemists inferred that just as a sick (imperfect) human body can be transmuted into a healthy (perfect) one by the addition of some extract of this vital substance, a sick (imperfect) metal like copper can likewise be transmuted into a healthy (perfect) one, namely silver or gold. When they recognized that their alloys were less than perfect, they still believed that with better methods and the moral purity to merit G-d’s grace (earned through performing good deeds), they could transmute (heal) the metal into a perfect one.

  The first alchemists were Jews. They alone possessed the sacred knowledge (Patai, 1994). In its earliest days, alchemy was a spiritual as well as a material quest for perfection. The goal was to perfect all souls, the souls of humans as well as the souls of metals. Maria Hebrea regarded metals as living (and dying) and having male and female parts with the potential in her laboratory at least metaphorically to sexually generate the perfect metal. But the objective of most alchemists was more practical: to invent less expensive ways to obtain silver and gold, fabricate pearls, to add luminosity to precious stones, and to produce all kinds of tinctures and dyes. Inasmuch as many alchemists were physicians, they also sought to identify and prepare remedies for every known disease and, most important, to create the ultimate elixir to heal, rejuvenate, and extend human life.

  Scholars agree on the nature of early alchemy but differ as to when Maria Hebrea lived. Some place her as having lived as early as 200 BCE (Hauck, 2008) or as late as 300 CE (Patai, 1994). But in accord with Lindsay (1970), I’ve placed her in the first century CE, when Alexandria was at its intellectual zenith and Western alchemy flourished (Leicester, 1971). Later, Roman superstition, magic, and mysticism would displace experimentation as a way to understand the material world, an intellectual shift evident in the texts of Zosimos. In particular, I’ve set the story in 46 CE so my character would have a memory of the Pogrom of 38 and that memory would justify her alarm over the theft of the scrolls and her fear that the dissemination of their secrets beyond “the seed of Abraham” (Patai, 1994) would incite another pogrom.

  Scholars also differ on some of the details I’ve incorporated into my story. For example, did Ptolemy IX replace Alexander’s gold coffin with one of crystal (Pollard & Reid, 2006), alabaster (Casson, 1994), or glass (Marlowe, 1971)? Were the Canopic Way and the Street of the Soma over 100 feet wide (Vrettos, 2001), almost 100 feet wide (Lewis, 1983; Strabo, as quoted in Jones, 1932), or 46 feet wide (De Camp, 1972)? Could building construction have progressively narrowed these streets (McKenzie, 2007)?

  Sly (1995) says the first-century Canopic Way was paved with rectangular blocks. Marlowe (1971) says the blocks were grayish stone squares. Pollard and Reid (2006) say the blocks were granite. Lewis (1983) says the streets were paved with cobblestones, but De Camp (1972) says the streets may not have been paved at all. Would Maria Hebrea have had to climb one hundred (Parsons, 1967) or two hundred (Marlowe, 1971) steps to reach the quadrangle at the summit of the Serapeum? Was Serapis made of marble (Parsons, 1967; Sly, 1995) or wood (Marlowe, 1971)?

  Likewise, scholars differ as to the precise location of the Museum and Great Library, as well as the relative locations of the Heptastadion, the agora, and the warehouse district. All of them locate the Museum and Great Library at the intersection of the Canopic Way and the Street of the Soma. But did the campus occupy the northwest (Marlowe, 1971), northeast (Sly, 1995) or southwest corner (Empereur, 1998)? Did the Heptastadion connect Pharos Island to Alexandria’s agora (Marlowe, 1971) or warehouse district (Sly, 1995)? Inasmuch as wars, earthquakes, and earthquake subsidence destroyed much of Ancient Alexandria, and the silting of the Nile has been altering the coastline for millennia, we can be grateful to Strabo, Philo, and others for their elaborate and otherwise mutually consistent descriptions of their splendid city.

  So how much of my story is factual? The accounts of or about Alexander the Great, the Ptolemies (including Cleopatra), Mark Antony, the Roman emperors, Flaccus, and Philo are congruent with the historical record. To the extent that we can trust Juvenal’s Satire VI (Green, 1999) to be an accurate depiction of the wantonness of Roman women (rather than an acidic reaction to their having invaded the world, pleasures, and privileges of men), then a senator’s wife named Eppia did in fact take refuge in Alexandria with a disfigured gladiator named Sergius.

  I have, however, taken liberties with Sergius. Juvenal was not born until about 55 CE and the Satires not written until after 100 CE, decades after my story. But otherwise, as with Sergius, the d’Anastasy connectio
n to the story is fictitious.

  The account of each of the following events is also congruent with the historical record, at least according to some scholars: the Pogrom of 38 (Allegro, 1972; Gruen, 2002), the bloody spectacle of reckless fans charging onto the track during a chariot race (Vrettos, 2001), and tax-collector brutality, including the slow, humiliating execution in the agora of a fugitive’s entire family (Sly, 1995).

  The rest of the characters, events, and descriptions, though narrative inventions, are also based, albeit more loosely, on the research of scholars. In particular, I’ve relied on the following works to depict life in Alexandria two thousand years ago:

  1. Allegro, J. M. (1972). The chosen people. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

  2. Bowman, A. K. (1986). Egypt after the pharaohs 332 BC—AD 642: From Alexander to the Arab conquest. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press.

  3. Casson, L. (1994). Travel in the ancient world. Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.

  4. De Camp, L. S. (1972). Great cities of the ancient world. Garden City, NY: Doubleday.

  5. Empereur, J.-Y. (1998). Alexandria rediscovered. New York: Braziller.

  6. Green, P. (Trans.). (1999). Juvenal: The sixteen satires (3rd ed.). New York: Penguin.

  7. Gruen, E. S. (2002). Diaspora: Jews amidst Greeks and Romans. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  8. Hauck, D. W. (2008). The complete idiot’s guide to alchemy. New York: Alpha Books (Penguin).

  9. Henderson, J. (Ed.). (2004). Philo (Volume I): On the account of the world’s creation given by Moses, allegorical interpretations of Genesis (Loeb Classical Library, Vol. 1). (F. H. Colson & G. H. Whitaker, Trans.). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  10. Hengel, M. (1980). Jews, Greeks, and barbarians: Aspects of the Hellenization of Judaism in the pre-Christian period. Philadelphia: Fortress Press.

  11. Houston, M. G. (1931). Ancient Greek, Roman, and Byzantine costume and decoration. London: A. & C. Black.

  12. Jashemski, W. F. (1993). The gardens of Pompeii: Herculaneum and the villas destroyed by Vesuvius (Vol. 2). New Rochelle, NY: Aristide D. Caratzas.

  13. Jones, H. L. (Trans.). (1932). The geography of Strabo, Volume VIII, Book 17 and General Index. (Loeb Classical Library No. 267). Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.

  14. Kasher, A. (1995). Synagogues as “houses of prayer” and “holy places” in the Jewish communities of Hellenistic and Roman Egypt. In D. Urman & P. V. M. Flesher (Eds.), Ancient synagogues: Historical analysis and archaeological discovery (pp. 205-220). The Hague: Netherlands, Brill Academic Publishers.

  15. Kelly, K. (2009). The history of medicine: Early civilizations, prehistoric times to 500 CE. New York: Facts on File.

  16. Leicester, H. M. (1971). The historical background of chemistry. New York: Dover.

  17. Le Toquin, A., & Bosser, J. (2006). Gardens in time. New York: Harry N. Abrams.

  18. Lewis, N. (1983). Life in Egypt under Roman rule. New York: Oxford University Press.

  19. Lindsay, J. (1970). The origins of alchemy in Graeco-Roman Egypt. Perth, Western Australia: Muller.

  20. Marlowe, J. (1971). The golden age of Alexandria. London: Victor Gollancz.

  21. McKenzie, J. (2007). The architecture of Alexandria and Egypt c.300 BC—AD 700. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.

  22. Meijer, F. (2004). The gladiators: History’s most deadly sport (L. Waters, Trans.). New York: St. Martin’s Press.

  23. Parsons, E. A. (1967). The Alexandrian Library: Glory of the Hellenic World. Essex, England: Elsevier Publishing.

  24. Patai, R. (1994). The Jewish alchemists: A history and source book. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.

  25. Pollard, J., & Reid, H. (2006). The rise and fall of Alexandria: Birthplace of the modern mind. New York: Viking (Penguin).

  26. Pomeroy, S. B. (1981). Women in Roman Egypt: A preliminary study based on papyri. In H. P. Foley (Ed.), Reflections of Women in Antiquity. (pp. 303-322). New York: Gordon and Breach Science Publishers.

  27. Pomeroy, S. B. (1984). Women in Hellenistic Egypt: From Alexander to Cleopatra. New York: Schocken Books.

  28. Sly, D. I. (1995). Philo’s Alexandria. London: Routledge.

  29. Smallwood, E. M. (1976). The Jews under Roman rule: From Pompey to Diocletian. Leiden, the Netherlands: E. J. Brill.

  30. Tcherikover, V. (1970). Hellenistic Civilization and the Jews (S. Applebaum, Trans.). New York: Atheneum.

  31. Vrettos, T. (2001). Alexandria: City of the Western mind. New York: Simon & Schuster (Free Press).

  Aside from the work of these scholars, I am indebted to my academic mentor, Professor Jean Lythcott, for introducing me to the study of chemistry from a historical perspective and inspiring me to learn about Maria Hebrea. I have felt Jeannie’s blessings on all my work.

  Further, I am grateful to Deborah Smith, my editor at Bell Bridge Books, for her enthusiasm for Miriam’s story and her gentle guidance. She has made my childhood dream come true.

  Every writer should have a family and friends like mine, beginning with my twin sister and earliest reader, Gail Trop Kushner, for her painstaking editing of Miriam’s story. Another life-long friend, Professor Lewis M. Greenberg, an expert in art history and culture, zealously checked the accuracy of my facts. Both supported me so generously with their attention to detail. As for my other family members and friends, I’m grateful to those who had the interest to ask about the book as well as to those who had the sensitivity not to, especially as I struggled to maintain optimism in the face of a torrent of rejections, and to those who over the years did both. You know who you are.

  But most of all, I thank my husband Paul. He is always here for me. He believes in me and embraces my every goal as his own.

  Finally, I hope that Maria Hebrea, whoever she was, whenever she lived, and wherever she is, forgives the liberties I have taken with her life. May she recognize my profound respect for her spiritual quest and scientific accomplishments.

  Glossary

  abba (Hebrew) father

  andabates (Latin) the event featuring more than a dozen gladiators who, wearing helmets without eyeholes, blindly brandish their swords at each other

  asclepieion (Greek) a healing temple dedicated to the worship of Asclepius

  birrus brittanicus (Latin) a long, woolen cloak worn with a hood to protect against the cold

  cantharus (Latin) a two-handled drinking cup shaped like a bowl

  capitium (Latin) a short, light chemise used as a woman’s undergarment or for sleeping

  centenarius (Latin) a horse that has won at least a hundred races

  collegium iuvenum (Latin) a social club for training high-ranking males over the age of fourteen in the martial arts

  colobium (Latin) a coarse, short-sleeved, workingman’s tunic

  compluvium (Latin) the open circle in the roof above the pool in the atrium

  copa (Latin) a woman who runs an inn catering to sailors, carters, and slaves

  cubiculum (Latin) a sleeping chamber

  discuplina bona (Latin) a good disciple

  exomis (Greek) a short, left-sleeved, laborer’s tunic that bares the right half of the wearer’s chest

  falx (Latin) a knife with a curved blade and sharp inside edge used by Roman charioteers in the event of a crash to cut the reins wrapped around their waist

  familia gladiatoria (Latin) the troupe of gladiators owned by a lanista

  kapeleion (sing.), kapeleia (pl.) (Greek) a snack bar providing cold snacks and beverages

  kerotakis (Greek) the cylindrical or spherical apparatus Maria Hebrea (known as Miriam bat Isaac in this novel) invented to vaporize and condense mercury, arsenic, or sulfur over a plate of base metal, the first step in her transmutation process.

 
korykos (Greek) a punch-bag room

  lacerna (Latin) a long, hooded, homespun cloak typically worn by slaves

  lanista (Latin) the owner and manager of a troupe of gladiators

  laographia (Latin) the poll tax levied on all males 14—60 years of age except those belonging to a privileged class, e.g., Roman citizens, priests, scholars in the Museum, and non-Roman, high-ranking officials

  ludus (Latin) school to train gladiators

  mastigophori (Latin) the men in the arena who wield long-handled pitchforks, whips, or scourges to goad the fighters

  meta (Latin) the gilded column that is the turning point for each lap of a chariot race

  paenula (Latin) a semi-circular, woolen, or leather knee-length cloak worn with a hood to protect against rain

  palaistra (Latin) the section of a gymnasium serving as a wrestling school and fitted with seats for spectators

  pankration (Greek) a strenuous sport that combines boxing and wrestling

  pantopoleion (Greek) a general store

  pedisequi (Latin) the slaves who follow their master when he leaves the house. Typically they accompany his litter to secure his safety.

  primus palus (Latin) literally “the first pole,” the title given to the best combatants within a ludus

  prote hyle (Greek) literally “prime matter,” the blackened mass formed during the first step to transmute a base metal

  retiarius (Latin) the type of gladiator specializing in a net and trident as his weaponry

  rudis (Latin) the wooden sword given to a gladiator to symbolize his permanent discharge from any further obligation to fight

  secutor (Latin) the type of gladiator, armed with a short sword, who is trained to fight a retiarius