Matteo Martelli

Prof. Matteo Martelli is a Full Professor of History of Science at the University of Bologna’s Department of Philosophy. His research focuses on the history of alchemy, ancient medicine, and the transmission of scientific knowledge across cultures. He leads the ERC-funded project AlchemEast (2017–2022), exploring alchemy’s evolution from Babylonian antiquity to Byzantine, Syriac, and Arabic traditions. Previously, he held postdoctoral fellowships at the Humboldt University of Berlin and the Chemical Heritage Foundation in Philadelphia.

• Current Position: Full Professor (Ordinario) of History of Science at Università di Bologna (since 2017)
• Education: PhD in History of Science (2012, Università di Pisa) and PhD in Greek Philology (2007, Università di Bologna)
• Key Projects: ERC Consolidator Grant AlchemEast, Rita Levi Montalcini Grant, BA-Leverhulme Small Grant

Research interests include Graeco-Egyptian alchemy, Byzantine and Syriac textual traditions, and the interplay between alchemy, medicine, and religion. He has authored/co-edited books like L’alchimista antico (2019) and Pseudo-Democritus, Scritti alchemici (2011), which received awards. His work bridges textual analysis, material culture, and cross-cultural knowledge transfer.

Publications span alchemical manuscripts, Galen’s pharmacological texts, and the role of mercury in pre-modern science. He has organized international conferences on topics like ancient pharmacology and Byzantine medical encyclopedias.

• Awards: 2011 Azogue Prize, 2013 International Academy of the History of Science Prize
• Editorial Roles: Archives Internationales d’Histoire des Sciences, Ambix

Teaching and advising focus on history of science methodologies and the cultural history of technical knowledge. His research group AlchemEast investigates textual sources and material evidence to reconstruct ancient alchemy’s global trajectory.