The start of Western alchemy may generally be traced to ancient and Hellenistic Egypt, where the city of Alexandria was a center of alchemical knowledge, and retained its pre-eminence through most of the Greek and Roman periods.
ðə stˈɑːɹt ʌv wˈɛstɚn ˈælkəmi mˈeɪ dʒˈɛnɚɹəli biː tɹˈeɪst tʊ ˈeɪntʃənt ænd hˌɛlənˈɪstɪk ˈiːdʒɪpt, wˌɛɹ ðə sˈɪɾi ʌv ˌælɪɡzˈændɹiə wʌzɐ sˈɛntɚɹ ʌv ælkˈɛmɪkəl nˈɑːlɪdʒ, ænd ɹᵻtˈeɪnd ɪts pɹˈiːˈɛmɪnəns θɹuː mˈoʊst əv ðə ɡɹˈiːk ænd ɹˈoʊmən pˈiəɹɪədz.