Eugenius the Alchemist was a writer active during the Roman era, likely between the 1st and 3rd centuries CE. He worked within the Greco-Egyptian tradition of alchemy, a field that combined practical craft with philosophical speculation. The center of this practice was Hellenized Egypt, and Eugenius’s Greek name suggests he was part of that intellectual world. No personal details of his life are known, making him a somewhat shadowy figure in the historical record.

A single treatise on alchemy is attributed to him, but it does not survive as an independent work. Instead, his writing is known only through fragments and citations in later compilations. He is listed as an authority in important later texts, such as the Physika kai Mystika, alongside other early alchemical figures like Mary the Jewess. According to modern scholars, the works from this early period often contained recipes for dyeing and metalworking, as well as more mystical ideas about transformation.

Eugenius’s historical importance comes from his place among the named founders of the alchemical tradition. His citation by later writers shows that he was considered part of the core network of early practitioners. This tradition was crucial for preserving and transmitting both technical knowledge and symbolic frameworks to later Byzantine, Islamic, and medieval European cultures. Even though his individual contributions cannot be reconstructed, his recorded name helps map the origins of alchemy as a discipline.