Athanasius Kircher
Portrait of Kircher from Mundus Subterraneus, 1664
Born	May 2, 1601 or 1602 Geisa, Abbacy of Fulda
Died	November 27 or November 28, 1680 Rome
Nationality	German
Religious beliefs	Roman Catholicism (Jesuit scientist-priest)[1]

Athanasius Kircher (sometimes erroneously spelled Kirchner) was a 17th century German Jesuit scholar who published around 40 works, most notably in the fields of oriental studies, geology, and medicine. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Geisa is a Town in the Wartburgkreis district in Thuringia, Germany. Fulda (ˈfʊlda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the Fulda River and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district ( Kreis Events 1095 - Pope Urban II declares the First Crusade at the Council of Clermont For the town in Argentina, see 28 de Noviembre. Events Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2 Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe. The Society of Jesus ( Latin: Societas Iesu, SJ and SI or SJ, SI) is a Catholic religious order Scholarly method &mdash or as it is more commonly called scholarship &mdash is the body of principles and practices used by scholars to make their claims about the world as Orientalism refers to the imitation or depiction of aspects of Eastern cultures in the West by writers designers and artists and can also refer to a sympathetic stance Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Medicine is the art and science of healing It encompasses a range of Health care practices evolved to maintain and restore Human Health by the

He made an early study of Egyptian hieroglyphs, and has been considered the founder of Egyptology. Egyptian hieroglyphs (ˈhaɪərəʊɡlɪf from Greek grc-Grek ἱερογλύφος " sacred carving " also hieroglyphic = grc-Grek Egyptology (from Egypt and Greek grc -λογία -logia. علم المصريات مصر شناسی is a major field of Archaeology ^[1] One of the first people to observe microbes through a microscope, he was thus ahead of his time in proposing that the plague was caused by an infectious microorganism and in suggesting effective measures to prevent the spread of the disease. A microscope ( Greek: ( micron) = small + ( skopein) = to look or see is an instrument for viewing objects that are The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually

Kircher has been compared to Leonardo da Vinci for his inventiveness and the breadth and depth of his work. Leonardo di ser Piero da Vinci ( April 15 1452 – May 2 1519 was an Italian Polymath, having been a scientist Mathematician, Engineer A scientific star in his day, towards the end of his life he was eclipsed by the rationalism of René Descartes and others. In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286 In the late 20th century, however, the aesthetic qualities of his work again began to be appreciated. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called One scholar, Edward W. Schmidt, has called him "the last Renaissance man".

Life

Kircher was born on May 2 in either 1601 or 1602 (he himself did not know) in Geisa, Buchonia, near Fulda. Events 1194 - King Richard I of England gives Portsmouth its first Royal Charter. Geisa is a Town in the Wartburgkreis district in Thuringia, Germany. Buchonia is a region in Hesse, a state of Germany, where one of the first Forestry planning systems was developed by Georg Ludwig Hartig (1764-1837 Fulda (ˈfʊlda is a city in Hesse, Germany; it is located on the Fulda River and is the administrative seat of the Fulda district ( Kreis From his birthplace he took the epithets Bucho, Buchonius and Fuldensis which he sometimes added to his name. He attended the Jesuit College in Fulda from 1614 to 1618, when he joined the order himself as a seminarian. A seminary, theological college, or divinity school is a specialized and often live-in Higher education institution for the purpose of instructing students

The youngest of nine children, Kircher was a precocious youngster who was taught Hebrew by a rabbiin addition to his studies at school. Rabbi (pronunciation, although in English usually) in Judaism, means a religious ‘teacher’ or more literally ‘my great one’ when addressing any master He studied philosophy and theology at Paderborn, but fled to Cologne in 1622 to escape advancing Protestant forces. Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Paderborn (paːdɐˈbɔʁn is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, capital of the Paderborn district. Protestantism refers to the forms of Christian faith and practice that originated in the 16th century Protestant Reformation. On the journey, he narrowly escaped death after falling through the ice crossing the frozen Rhine— one of several occasions on which his life was endangered. The Rhine (Rhein Rijn Rhin Reno Rain Rhenus is one of the longest and most important Rivers in Europe at 1320 kilometres (820 mi with an average discharge Later, travelling to Heiligenstadt, he was caught and nearly hanged by a party of Protestant soldiers. Hanging is the lethal suspension of a person by a ligature The Oxford English Dictionary states that hanging in this sense is "specifically to put to death

At Heiligenstadt, he taught mathematics, Hebrew and Syriac, and produced a show of fireworks and moving scenery for the visiting Elector Archbishop of Mainz, showing early evidence of his interest in mechanical devices. Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and Aramaic is a Semitic language with A firework is classified as a low explosive pyrotechnic device used primarily for aesthetic and entertainment purposes The Prince-Electors (or simply Electors) of the Holy Roman Empire ( German: Kurfürst ( pl The Archbishopric of Mainz (Erzbistum Mainz or Electorate of Mainz (Kurfürstentum Mainz or Kurmainz) was an influential ecclesiastic and secular Prince-bishopric Mechanics ( Greek) is the branch of Physics concerned with the behaviour of physical bodies when subjected to Forces or displacements He joined the priesthood in 1628 and became professor of ethics and mathematics at the University of Würzburg, where he also taught Hebrew and Syrian. The ministerial orders of the Catholic Church includes both the orders of bishops and presbyters, which in Latin is sacerdos. Ethics is a major branch of Philosophy, encompassing right conduct and good life Mathematics is the body of Knowledge and Academic discipline that studies such concepts as Quantity, Structure, Space and The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402 From 1628, he also began to show an interest in Egyptian hieroglyphs.

Kircher published his first book (the Ars Magnesia, reporting his research on magnetism) in 1631, but the same year he was driven by the continuing Thirty Years' War to the papal University of Avignon in France. In Physics, magnetism is one of the Phenomena by which Materials exert attractive or repulsive Forces on other Materials. For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. The University of Avignon (long name University of Avignon and the Vaucluse French Université d'Avignon et des Pays de Vaucluse) is a French university based in This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. In 1633, he was called to Vienna by the emperor to succeed Kepler as Mathematician to the Habsburg court. Vienna ( in Wien; see also other names) is the Capital of Austria, and is also one of the nine States of Austria. Ferdinand II Holy Roman Emperor ( July 9, 1578 &ndash February 15, 1637) of the House of Habsburg, reigned as Ferdinand II Johannes Kepler (ˈkɛplɚ ( December 27 1571 &ndash November 15 1630) was a German Mathematician, Astronomer On the intervention of Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc, the order was rescinded and he was sent instead to Rome to continue with his scholarly work, but he had already set off for Vienna. Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc ( December 1, 1580 &ndash June 24, 1637) was a French Astronomer, antiquary and savant Rome ( Roma ˈroma Roma is the capital city of Italy and Lazio, and is Italy's largest and most populous city with more than 2

On the way, his ship was blown off-course and he arrived in Rome before he knew of the changed decision. He based himself in the city for the rest of his life, and from 1638, he taught mathematics, physics and oriental languages at the Collegio Romano for several years before being released to devote himself to research. Physics (Greek Physis - φύσις in everyday terms is the Science of Matter and its motion. There is a wide variety of Languages spoken throughout Asia, comprising a number of families and some unrelated isolates Pontifical Gregorian University (Pontificia Università Gregoriana (also known as the Gregorianum) is a Pontifical university located in Rome, Italy He studied malaria and the plague, amassing a collection of antiquities, which he exhibited along with devices of his own creation in the Museum Kircherianum. Malaria is a vector -borne Infectious disease caused by Protozoan Parasites It is widespread in tropical and subtropical regions including The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia Archaeology, archeology, or archæology (from Greek grc ἀρχαιολογία archaiologia – grc ἀρχαῖος archaīos

In 1661, Kircher discovered the ruins of a church said to have been constructed by Constantine on the site of Saint Eustace's vision of Jesus Christ in a stag's horns. Flavius Valerius Aurelius Constantinus (27 February ca. 272 &ndash 22 May 337 commonly known as Constantine I, Constantine the Great, or Saint Constantine For the Lithuanian saint see Eustace of Vilnius. Saint Eustace, also known as Eustachius or Eustathius, was a legendary Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) He raised money to pay for the church’s reconstruction as the Santuario della Mentorella, and his heart was buried in the church on his death.

Works

Kircher published a large number of substantial books on a very wide variety of subjects, such as Egyptology, geology, and music theory. Egyptology (from Egypt and Greek grc -λογία -logia. علم المصريات مصر شناسی is a major field of Archaeology Geology (from Greek γη gê, "earth" and λόγος Logos, "speech" lit Music theory is the field of study that deals with the Mechanics of music and how Music works His syncretic approach paid no attention to the boundaries between disciplines which are now conventional: his Magnes, for example, was ostensibly a discussion of magnetism, but also explored other forms of attraction such as gravity and love. Syncretism consists of the attempt to reconcile disparate or contradictory beliefs often while melding practices of various schools of thought In Physics, magnetism is one of the Phenomena by which Materials exert attractive or repulsive Forces on other Materials. Gravitation is a natural Phenomenon by which objects with Mass attract one another Love is any of a number of Emotions and experiences related to a sense of strong Affection. Perhaps Kircher's best-known work today is his Oedipus Aegyptiacus (1652–54) a vast study of Egyptology and comparative religion. Oedipus Aegyptiacus is Athanasius Kircher 's supreme work of Egyptology. Comparative religion is a field of Religious study that analyzes the similarities and differences of themes myths rituals and concepts among the world's religions His books, written in Latin, had a wide circulation in the 17th century, and they contributed to the dissemination of scientific information to a broader circle of readers. Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome.

Egyptology

Kircher was acknowledged as his era's greatest student of Ancient Egypt. Ancient Egypt was an Ancient Civilization in eastern North Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now While some of his notions are long discredited, portions of his work have been valuable to later scholars; Kircher helped pioneer Egyptology as a field of serious study.

The Coptic alphabet, from Prodromus coptus sive aegyptiacus

Kircher's interest in Egyptology began in 1628 when he became intrigued by a collection of hieroglyphs in the library at Speyer. Coptic or Coptic Egyptian ( MetRemenkīmi) is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt Speyer (English formerly Spires) is a City in Germany ( Rhineland-Palatinate) with approx He learned Coptic in 1633 and published the first grammar of that language in 1636, the Prodromus coptus sive aegyptiacus. Coptic or Coptic Egyptian ( MetRemenkīmi) is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt In the Lingua aegyptiaca restituta of 1643, he argued that Coptic was not a separate language, but the last development of ancient Egyptian. Coptic or Coptic Egyptian ( MetRemenkīmi) is the final stage of the Egyptian language, a northern Afro-Asiatic language spoken in Egypt Egyptian is an Afro-Asiatic language most closely related to the Berber, Semitic, Somali and Beja languages He also recognised the relationship between the hieratic and hieroglyphic scripts. Hieratic is a Cursive writing system used in pharaonic Egypt that developed alongside the hieroglyphic system to which it is intimately

In Oedipus Aegyptiacus he argued, under the impression of the Hieroglyphica, that ancient Egyptian was the language spoken by Adam and Eve, that Hermes Trismegistus was Moses, and that hieroglyphs were occult symbols which "cannot be translated by words, but expressed only by marks, characters and figures. Horapollo (from Horus Apollo, Ὡραπόλλων is supposed author of a treatise on Egyptian hieroglyphs, extant in a Greek translation Egyptian is an Afro-Asiatic language most closely related to the Berber, Semitic, Somali and Beja languages Adam (אָדָם ʼĀḏām, "dust man mankind" آدم; Ge'ez: አዳ and Eve (חַוָּה Ḥawwā, "living Hermes Trismegistus ( Greek:, "thrice-great Hermes" Latin: Mercurius ter Maximus) is the Syncretism of the Greek god Moses ( Latin: Moyses,; Greek: grc Mωυσής in both the Septuagint and the New Testament; Arabic: ar موسىٰ The word occult comes from the Latin word occultus (clandestine hidden secret referring to "knowledge of the hidden" The musical instrument is spelled Cymbal. A symbol is something --- such as an object, Picture, written word a sound a piece " This led him to translate simple hieroglyphic texts now known to read as dd Wsr ("Osiris says") as "The treachery of Typhon ends at the throne of Isis; the moisture of nature is guarded by the vigilance of Anubis". Kircher apparently fooled himself (as well as some contemporaries) into believing that he could read the hieroglyphics, but his "translations" were largely figments of his own imagination, having little to do with the actual text.

Although his approach to deciphering the texts was based on a fundamental misconception, Kircher did pioneer serious study of hieroglyphs, and the data which he collected were later used by Champollion in his successful efforts to decode the script. Jean-François Champollion ( 23 December 1790 – 4 March 1832) was a French classical scholar, philologist Kircher himself was alive to the possibility of the hieroglyphs constituting an alphabet: he included in his proposed system (incorrect) derivations of the Greek alphabet from 21 hieroglyphs. An alphabet is a standardized set of letters basic written symbols each of which roughly represents a Phoneme, a Spoken language, either The Greek alphabet (Ελληνικό αλφάβητο is a set of twenty-four letters that has been used to write the Greek language since the late 9th or early He was actively involved in the erection of Obelisks on Roman squares, often adding fantastic "hieroglyphs" of his own design in the blank areas that are now puzzling to modern scholars.

Sinology

Map of China from China Illustrata

Kircher had an early interest in China, telling his superior in 1629 that he wished to become a missionary to the country. China ( Wade-Giles ( Mandarin) Chung¹kuo² is a cultural region, an ancient Civilization, and depending on perspective a National A missionary is a member of a Religion who works to convert those who do not share the missionary's faith someone who proselytizes. His China Illustrata (1667) was an encyclopedia of China, which combined accurate cartography with mythical elements, such as dragons. The dragon is a Legendary creature of which some interpretation or depiction appears in almost every culture worldwide The work emphasised the Christian elements of Chinese history, both real and imagined: he noted the early presence of Nestorians, but also claimed that the Chinese were descended from the sons of Ham, that Confucius was Hermes Trismegistus/Moses and that the Chinese characters were corrupted hieroglyphs. Nestorius Nestorius (c  386 &ndashc  451) was a pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia in Antioch in Syria (modern Ham (; Greek Χαμ, Cham; Arabic: ar حام, xam, "hot" according to the Table of Nations in Genesis, was a Confucius ( lit " Master Kung " September 28, 551 BC - 479 BC) was a Chinese thinker and social philosopher A Chinese character, also known as a Han character ( is a Logogram used in writing Chinese (hanzi Japanese ( In his system, ideograms were inferior to hieroglyphs because they referred to specific ideas rather than to mysterious complexes of ideas, while the signs of the Maya and Aztecs were yet lower pictograms which referred only to objects. An ideogram or ideograph (from Greek idea "idea" + grafo "to write" is a Graphic symbol that represents an Idea The Maya civilization is a Mesoamerican Civilization, noted for the only known fully developed written language of the Pre-Columbian Americas Aztec is a term used to refer to certain ethnic groups of central Mexico, particularly those groups who spoke the Nahuatl language and who achieved political A pictogram ( also spelled pictogramme) or pictograph is a Symbol representing a Concept, object, activity place or event Umberto Eco comments that this idea reflected and supported the European attitude to the Chinese and native American civilisations;

"China was presented not as an unknown barbarian to be defeated but as a prodigal son who should return to the home of the common father". Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 is an Italian Medievalist, semiotician, Philosopher, literary critic and Novelist, best (p. 69)

Geology

Kircher's model of the Earth's internal fires, from Mundus Subterraneus

Giant fossil bones were ascribed to giant human races in Mundus subterraneus

On a visit to southern Italy in 1638, the ever-curious Kircher was lowered into the crater of Vesuvius, then on the brink of eruption, in order to examine its interior. EARTH was a short-lived Japanese vocal trio which released 6 singles and 1 album between 2000 and 2001 Geography Southern Italy forms the lower "boot" of the Italian peninsula containing the ankle (Abruzzo and Molise and southern Lazio the toe (Calabria and the heel Plate tectonics and hotspots Divergent plate boundaries At the Mount Vesuvius (in Italian Monte Vesuvio and in Latin Mons Vesuvius) is an active Stratovolcano east of Naples He was also intrigued by the subterranean rumbling which he heard at the Strait of Messina. The Strait of Messina ( Strittu di Missina in Sicilian) is the narrow section of water between the eastern tip of Sicily and the southern His geological and geographical investigations culminated in his Mundus Subterraneus of 1664, in which he suggested that the tides were caused by water moving to and from a subterranean ocean. Characteristics A tide is a repeated cycle of sea level changes in the following stages Over several hours the water rises or advances up a beach in the flood An ocean (from Greek, ''Okeanos'' (Oceanus) is a major body of saline water, and a principal component of the Hydrosphere.

Kircher was also puzzled by fossils. FOSSIL is a standard protocol for allowing serial communication for Telecommunications programs under the DOS Operating system. He understood that some were the remains of animals which had turned to stone, but ascribed others to human invention or to the spontaneous generative force of the earth. Soil, often typeset as SOiL, is a four piece rock band from Chicago Illinois United States founded by Shaun Glass Tom Schofield Tim King and Adam Zadel He ascribed large bones to giant races of humans. ^[2] Not all the objects which he was attempting to explain were in fact fossils, hence the diversity of explanations.

Medicine

Kircher took a notably modern approach to the study of diseases, as early as 1646 using a microscope to investigate the blood of plague victims. A disease is an abnormal condition of an organism that impairs bodily functions and can be deadly A microscope ( Greek: ( micron) = small + ( skopein) = to look or see is an instrument for viewing objects that are Blood is a specialized Bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells ��such as nutrients and oxygen—and transports Waste products The Black Death, or the Black Plague, was one of the deadliest Pandemics in human history widely thought to have been caused by a bacterium named Yersinia In his Scrutinium Pestis of 1658, he noted the presence of "little worms" or "animalcules" in the blood, and concluded that the disease was caused by microorganisms. Animalcule ("little animal" from Latin animal + the diminutive suffix -culum) is an older term for a microscopic Animal or protozoan A microorganism (also spelled micro organism or micro-organism and also called a microbe) is an Organism that is Microscopic (usually The conclusion was correct, although it is likely that what he saw were in fact red or white blood cells and not the plague agent, Yersinia pestis. Red blood cells are the most common type of Blood cell and the Vertebrate body's principal means of delivering Oxygen to the body tissues via the Blood A blood cell (also called blood corpuscle) is any cell of any type normally found in Blood. Yersinia pestis (formerly Pasteurella pestis) is a Gram-negative rod-shaped Bacterium belonging to the family He also proposed hygienic measures to prevent the spread of disease, such as isolation, quarantine, burning clothes worn by the infected and wearing facemasks to prevent the inhalation of germs. Hygiene refers to practices associated with ensuring good health and cleanliness For other uses see Quarantine (disambiguation Quarantine is voluntary or compulsory isolation typically to contain the spread of something

Display of screen images

In 1646, Kircher published Ars Magna Lucis et Umbrae, on the subject of the display of images on a screen using an apparatus similar to the magic lantern as developed by Christian Huygens and others. The magic lantern or Lanterna Magica was the ancestor of the modern Slide projector. Christiaan Huygens (ˈhaɪgənz in English ˈhœyɣəns in Dutch) ( April 14, 1629 &ndash July 8, 1695) was a Dutch Kircher described the construction of a "catotrophic lamp" that used reflection to project images on the wall of a darkened room. Although Kircher did not invent the device, he made improvements over previous models, and suggested methods by which exhibitors could use his device. Much of the significance of his work arises from Kircher rational approach towards the demystification of projected images. ^[3] Previously such images had been used in Europe to mimic supernatural (Kircher himself cites the use of displayed images by the rabbis in the court of King Solomon). King Solomon ( Ge'ez: ስለሞን Arabic: ar سليمان, Sulayman, all from the Triliteral root S-L-M, "peace" Kircher stressed that exhibitors should take great care to inform spectators that such images were purely naturalistic, and not magical in origin.

Other

Kircher's magnetic clock

Kircher constructed a magnetic clock, the mechanism of which he explained in his Magnes (1641). In Physics, magnetism is one of the Phenomena by which Materials exert attractive or repulsive Forces on other Materials. The device had originally been invented by another Jesuit, Fr. Francis Line, and was described by an acquaintance of Line's in 1634. Kircher's patron Peiresc had claimed that the clock's motion supported the Copernican cosmological model, the argument being that the magnetic sphere in the clock was caused to rotate by the magnetic force of the sun. The Sun (Sol is the Star at the center of the Solar System. Kircher's model disproved the theory, showing that the motion could be produced by a water clock in the base of the device. A water clock or clepsydra ( Greek kleptein to steal; hydro water) is any timekeeper operated by means of a regulated flow of liquid into (inflow

Other machines designed by Kircher include an aeolian harp, automatons such as a statue which spoke and listened via a speaking tube, a perpetual motion machine, or a cat piano which would drive spikes into the tails of cats which yowled to specified pitches, although he is not known to have actually constructed the instrument. An aeolian harp (or æolian harp or wind harp) is a Musical instrument that is "played" by the wind This article is about a self-operating machine For other uses of Automaton see Automaton (disambiguation or Automata (disambiguation. A speaking tube or voicepipe is a device based around two cones connected by an Air pipe through which speech can be transmitted over an extended The term perpetual motion, taken literally refers to movement that goes on forever A cat piano or Katzenklavier ( German) is a hypothetical Musical instrument consisting of a line of Cats fixed in place with their tails stretched Pitch represents the perceived Fundamental frequency of a sound

An illustration from the discussion of hearing in Musurgia Universalis, showing the ears of a human, cow, horse, dog, leopard, cat, rat, pig, sheep and goose

The Musurgia Universalis (1650) sets out Kircher's views on music: he believed that the harmony of music reflected the proportions of the universe. The ear is the sense organ that detects Sounds The Vertebrate ear shows a common biology from Fish to Humans with variations Human beings, humans or man (Origin 1590–1600 L homō man OL hemō the earthly one (see Humus Cattle, colloquially referred to as cows, are domesticated Ungulates a member of the Subfamily Bovinae of the family The horse ( Equus caballus) is a hoofed ( Ungulate) Mammal, one of eight living species of the family Equidae. The dog ( Canis lupus familiaris) is a domesticated Subspecies of the gray wolf, a Mammal of the Canidae family of the order The leopard (lɛpɚd Panthera pardus) is an Old World Mammal of the Felidae family and the smallest of the four roaring WikipediaManual of Style (spelling, articles should conform to one overall spelling style of English typically the one most linked to the article topic (if it is geographic Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea Pigs, also called hogs or' swine', are Ungulates which have been domesticated as sources of food leather and similar products since ancient times Goose (plural geese) is the English name for a considerable number of Birds belonging to the family Anatidae. Music is an Art form in which the medium is Sound organized in Time. In Western music, harmony is the use of different pitches simultaneously and chords actual or implied in Music. The Universe is defined as everything that Physically Exists: the entirety of Space and Time, all forms of Matter, Energy The book includes plans for constructing water-powered automatic organs, notations of birdsong and diagrams of musical instruments. See also Modern musical symbols Music notation or musical notation is any system which represents aurally perceived Music through the use A musical instrument is a device constructed or modified for the purpose of making Music. One illustration shows the differences between the ears of humans and other animals. The ear is the sense organ that detects Sounds The Vertebrate ear shows a common biology from Fish to Humans with variations In Phonurgia Nova (1673) Kircher considered the possibilities of transmitting music to remote places.

Kircher wrote against the Copernican model in his Magnes (supporting instead that of Tycho Brahe), but in his later Itinerarium extaticum (1656, revised 1671) he presented several systems, including the Copernican, as alternative possibilities. Tycho Brahe, born Tyge Ottesen Brahe ( December 14 1546 &ndash October 24 1601) was a Danish nobleman In Polygraphia nova (1663) he proposed an artificial universal language. A universal language is a hypothetical historical or mythical language said to be spoken and understood by all or most of the world's populationor in some circles is said to be understood

Kircher received a copy of the Voynich Manuscript in 1666; it was sent to him by Johannes Marcus Marci in the hope of his being able to decipher it. The Voynich manuscript is a mysterious illustrated Book written in an indecipherable text Jan Marek Marci, in Latin Ioannes (or Johannes) Marcus Marci, ( June 13, 1595 – The manuscript remained in the Collegio Romano until Victor Emmanuel II of Italy annexed the papal states in 1870. Victor Emmanuel II King of Italy ( Vittorio Emanuele II; March 14, 1820 – January 9, 1878) was the King of The Papal States, State(s of the Church or Pontifical States (in Italian Stato Ecclesiastico, Stato della Chiesa, Stati della Chiesa

In 1675, he published Arca Noë, the results of his research on the biblical Ark of Noah— following the Counter-Reformation, allegorical interpretation was giving way to the study of the Old Testament as literal truth among Scriptural scholars. Noah's Ark, according to the Book of Genesis (chapters 6-9 is the story of a large vessel built at God 's command to save Noah, his family The Counter-Reformation (also Catholic Reformation denotes the period of Catholic revival from the pontificate of Pope Pius IV in 1560 to the close of the Allegorical interpretation is the approach which assigns a higher-than-literal interpretation to the contents of a text (eg Bible) Kircher analyzed the dimensions of the Ark; based on the number of species known to him (excluding insects and other forms thought to arise spontaneously), he calculated that overcrowding would not have been a problem. In the Natural sciences, Abiogenesis, or origin of life, is the study of how Life on Earth emerged from Inanimate Organic He also discussed the logistics of the Ark voyage, speculating on whether extra livestock was brought to feed carnivores and what the daily schedule of feeding and caring for animals must have been.

Influence

For most of his professional life, Kircher was one of the scientific stars of the world: according to historian Paula Findlen, he was "the first scholar with a global reputation". His importance was twofold: to the results of his own experiments and research he added information gleaned from his correspondence with over 760 scientists, physicians and above all his fellow Jesuits in all parts of the globe. In scientific inquiry an experiment ( Latin: Ex- periri, "to try out" is a method of investigating particular types of research questions or The Encyclopædia Britannica calls him a "one-man intellectual clearing house". The Encyclopædia Britannica is a general English-language encyclopaedia published by Encyclopædia Britannica Inc His works, illustrated to his orders, were extremely popular, and he was the first scientist to be able to support himself through the sale of his books. Towards the end of his life his stock fell, as the rationalist Cartesian approach began to dominate (Descartes himself described Kircher as "more quacksalver than savant"). In Epistemology and in its broadest sense rationalism is "any view appealing to Reason as a source of knowledge or justification" (Lacey 286

In culture

Thereafter, Kircher was largely neglected until the late 20th century. One writer attributes his rediscovery to the similarities between his eclectic approach and postmodernism: "at the start of the 21st century Kircher's taste for trivia, deception and wonder is back”; "Kircher's postmodern qualities include his subversiveness, his celebrity, his technomania and his bizarre eclecticism" [2]. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism Trivia (singular trivium) are unimportant (or "trivial" items especially of information A celebrity is a widely-recognized or famous person who commands a high degree of public and media attention Technology is a broad concept that deals with a Species ' usage and knowledge of Tools and Crafts and how it affects a species' ability to control and adapt Eclecticism is a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single Paradigm or set of assumptions but instead draws upon multiple theories styles or ideas to

In his book For Lust of Knowing, Robert Irwin calls Kircher "one of the last scholars aspiring to know everything", adding that the philosopher Leibniz was probably the last.

As few of Kircher's works have been translated, the contemporary emphasis has been on their aesthetic qualities rather than their actual content, and a succession of exhibitions have highlighted the beauty of their illustrations. Aesthetics or esthetics ( also spelled æsthetics) is commonly known as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values sometimes called Historian Anthony Grafton has said that "the staggeringly strange dark continent of Kircher's work [is] the setting for a Borges story that was never written", while Umberto Eco has written about Kircher in his novel The Island of the Day Before, as well as in his non-fiction works The Search for the Perfect Language and Serendipities. Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 is an Italian Medievalist, semiotician, Philosopher, literary critic and Novelist, best The Island of the Day Before ( L'isola del giorno prima) is a 1994 Novel by Umberto Eco. The contemporary artist Cybèle Varela has paid tribute to Kircher in her exhibition Ad Sidera per Athanasius Kircher, held in the Collegio Romano, in the same place where the Museum Kircherianum was. Cybèle Varela ( Petrópolis, 1943) is a Brazilian born Europe based contemporary mixed-media artist Pontifical Gregorian University (Pontificia Università Gregoriana (also known as the Gregorianum) is a Pontifical university located in Rome, Italy

The deeply researched best selling alternate history Ring of Fire series employs Fr. Alternate history or alternative history is a subgenre of Speculative fiction (or Science fiction) and Historical fiction Kircher in a variety of short stories and as a backdrop character for the exposition of religious strife during the Thirty Years' War in the novels 1634: The Galileo Affair and 1634: The Bavarian Crisis. For the Mauritanian Thirty Years' War see Char Bouba war. For the band see The 30 Years War. 1634 The Galileo Affair is the fourth book and third novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. 1634 The Bavarian Crisis is a novel in the Alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce and Eric Flint as sequel In the former his role is relatively minor, as he steps in as curate of Saint Mary's Parish for the parish priest—the newly named last resort Ambassador of the embattled and newly organized United States of Europe (USE) to the Most Serene Republic of Venice—Fr. Lawrence Mazarre. The United States of Europe ( USE) is a fictional federation and Empire in the 1632 series created Eric Flint. The Most Serene Republic of Venice ((Serenìsima Repùblica Vèneta or Repùblica de Venesia Serenissima Repubblica He plays a larger role in 1634: The Bavarian Crisis where he forms part of a Jesuit information network that helps resolve the personal and political concerns of the staunchly Catholic heroine, Archduchess Maria Anna of Austria and the aid she receives in her flight from citizens and government functionaries of the State of Thuringia-Franconia.

The Athanasius Kircher Society is a weblog devoted to unusual ephemera, which very occasionally relate to Kircher^[4]

Turris Babel: Kircher's illustration of the Tower of Babel, and why it was impossible that it could have reached the moon, 1679

Bibliography

Kircher's principal works, in chronological order, are:

• 1631 Ars Magnesia
• 1635 Primitiae gnomoniciae catroptricae
• 1636 Prodromus coptus sive aegyptiacus
• 1637 Specula Melitensis encyclica, hoc est syntagma novum instrumentorum physico- mathematicorum
• 1641 Magnes sive de arte magnetica
• 1643 Lingua aegyptiaca restituta
• 1645–1646 Ars Magna Lucis et umbrae in mundo
• 1650 Obeliscus Pamphilius
• 1650 Musurgia universalis, sive ars magna consoni et dissoni
• 1652–1655 Oedipus Aegyptiacus
• 1654 Magnes sive (third, expanded edition)
• 1656 Itinerarium extaticum s. Oedipus Aegyptiacus is Athanasius Kircher 's supreme work of Egyptology. opificium coeleste
• 1657 Iter extaticum secundum, mundi subterranei prodromus
• 1658 Scrutinium Physico-Medicum Contagiosae Luis, quae dicitur Pestis
• 1660 Pantometrum Kircherianum . . . explicatum a G. Schotto
• 1661 Diatribe de prodigiosis crucibus
• 1663 Polygraphia, seu artificium linguarium quo cum omnibus mundi populis poterit quis respondere
• 1664–1678 Mundus subterraneus, quo universae denique naturae divitiae
• 1665 Historia Eustachio-Mariana
• 1665 Arithmologia
• 1666 Obelisci Aegyptiaci . . . interpretatio hieroglyphica
• 1667 China Monumentis, qua sacris qua profanis
• 1667 Magneticum naturae regnum sive disceptatio physiologica
• 1668 Organum mathematicum
• 1669 Principis Cristiani archetypon politicum
• 1669 Latium
• 1669 Ars magna sciendi sive combinatorica
• 1673 Phonurgia nova, sive conjugium mechanico-physicum artis & natvrae paranympha phonosophia concinnatum
• 1675 Arca Noe
• 1676 Sphinx mystagoga
• 1676 Obelisci Aegyptiaci
• 1679 Musaeum Collegii Romani Societatis Jesu
• 1679 Turris Babel, Sive Archontologia Qua Primo Priscorum post diluvium hominum vita, mores rerumque gestarum magnitudo, Secundo Turris fabrica civitatumque exstructio, confusio linguarum, & inde gentium transmigrationis, cum principalium inde enatorum idiomatum historia, multiplici eruditione describuntur & explicantur. Amsterdam, Jansson-Waesberge 1679.
• 1679 Tariffa Kircheriana sive mensa Pathagorica expansa
• 1680 Physiologia Kicheriana experimentalis

Cited references

Other sources

• Athanasius Kircher, Dude of Wonders Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Athanasius Kircher Image Gallery Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Athanasius Kircher's Magnetic Clock Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (German language) Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Catholic Encyclopedia Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Glasgow University Library: Musurgia Universalis Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Infoplease: Athanasius Kircher Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• The Correspondence of Athanasius Kircher Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• The First Use of the Microscope in Medicine Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• The Galileo Project Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• The Historical Background of Cytology Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Owners of the Voynich Manuscript Retrieved Feb. 3, 2005.
• The World is Bound With Secret Knots Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.
• Voynich MS - Biographies Retrieved Oct. 16, 2004.

Literature

• John Edward Fletcher: A brief survey of the unpublished correspondence of Athanasius Kircher S J. John Edward Fletcher ( January 18, 1940 - June 2, 1992) was a British - Australian Scholar best known for his (1602–80), in: Manuscripta, XIII, St. Manuscripta is a bi-annual academic journal published by the Vatican Film Library in St Louis, 1969, pp. 150-60.
• John Edward Fletcher: Johann Marcus Marci writes to Athanasius Kircher. Janus, Leyden, LIX (1972), pp. 97–118
• John Edward Fletcher: Athanasius Kircher und seine Beziehungen zum gelehrten Europa seiner Zeit Wolfenbütteler Arbeiten zur Barockforschung, Band 17, 1988. -
• John Edward Fletcher: "Johann Marcus Marci writes to Athanasius Kircher", Janus, 59 (1972), pp 95–118.
• John Edward Fletcher: Athanasius Kircher : A Man Under Pressure. 1988
• John Edward Fletcher: Athanasius Kircher And Duke August Of Brunswick-Lüneberg : A Chronicle Of Friendship. 1988
• John Edward Fletcher: Athanasius Kircher And His Correspondence. 1988
• Schmidt, Edward W.  :The Last Renaissance Man: Athanasius Kircher, SJ. Company: The World of Jesuits and Their Friends. 19(2), Winter 2001–2002.
• Umberto Eco: Serendipities: Language and Lunacy. Umberto Eco (born 5 January 1932 is an Italian Medievalist, semiotician, Philosopher, literary critic and Novelist, best Columbia University Press (1998). ISBN 0-231-11134-7.
• Paula Findlen: Athanasius Kircher: The Last Man Who Knew Everything. New York, Routledge, 2004. ISBN 0-415-94016-8
• Thiollet, Jean-Pierre, Je m'appelle Byblos, Paris, H & D, 2005 (p. 254). ISBN 2-914 266 04 9
• Cybèle Varela: Ad Sidera per Athanasius Kircher. Rome, Gangemi, 2008. ISBN 978-88492-1416-1

Texts by Athanasius Kircher

• Magnes Siue De Arte Magnetica Opvs Tripartitvm 1643 [2nd ed. ]
• Historia Evstachio-Mariana.. 1665.
• Arithmologia sive De abditis numerorum mysterijs 1665.
• Ars Magna Sciendi 1669.
• Latium. Id Est, Nova & Parallela Latii tum Veteris tum Novi Descriptio 1671.
• Obeliscus Pamphilius : hoc est, Interpretatio noua & Hucusque Intentata Obelisci Hieroglyphici 1650.
• Physiologia Kircheriana Experimentalis 1680.
• Sphinx Mystagoga : sive Diatribe hieroglyphica, qua Mumiae, ex Memphiticis Pyramidum Adytis Erutae.. 1676.
• Musurgia Universalis: Volume One; Volume Two 1650.

External links

• Fairfield University: Athanasius Kircher
• An extensive subcategorized link directory about A. Kircher
• Geology and A. Kircher (PDF files, in German)
• The Museum of Jurassic Technology in Culver City, California includes models of Kircher's inventions.
• University of Lucerne, Switzerland: Kircher-research project (in German)
• Kircherianum Virtuale: A link directory about Kircher and related subjects
• Athanasius Kircher: Contains a short biography, an English translation of Kirchers most wellknown work about the Magic Lantern and of a letter from Kircher to a Swedish prince