Quicksilver from Cinnabar: The first documented mechanochemical reaction?

Theophrastus' book On Stones, written in the fourth century B.C., is the earliest known work on minerals, their properties, and applications. The book is full of interesting information compiled in a clear, easy-to-read style. The excerpt examined in this article is especially important, as it represents the first known mechanochemical reaction, as well as the first description of any process for obtaining a pure metal from a compound.