Philosophy – Alexandria acted as a melting pot for philosophies of Pythagoreanism, Platonism, Stoicism and Gnosticism which formed the origin of alchemy's character.
fɪlˈɑːsəfi ˌælɪɡzˈændɹiə ˈæktᵻd æz ɐ mˈɛltɪŋ pˈɑːt fɔːɹ fɪlˈɑːsəfiz ʌv pˈaɪθɐɡˌoːɹiənˌɪzəm, plˈætənˌɪzəm, stˈoʊɪsˌɪzəm ænd nˈɑːstɪsˌɪzəm wˌɪtʃ fˈɔːɹmd ðɪ ˈɔːɹɪdʒˌɪn ʌv ˈælkəmiz kˈæɹɪktɚ.