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File:Athanasius_Kircher_(cropped).jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons

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Athanasius Kircher

Also known as Athanasius Kircher SJ, Athanasius Kircher, S.J., A. Kircher, Kircher, Pere Kircher, Father Kircher, Fr. Athanasius Kircher

German Jesuit scholar (1601 or 1602-1680)

AI overview

Athanasius Kircher was a German Jesuit scholar of the 1600s who became famous for his wide-ranging investigations into subjects like ancient languages, geology, magnetism, and music. His work exemplified the ambitious, cross-disciplinary approach to knowledge that characterized the scientific and intellectual ferment of the early modern period.

AI-generated from the Wikipedia summary — may contain errors.

Wikidata facts

Instance of: human
Given name: Athanasius
Gender: male
Citizenship: Germany
Place of birth: Geisa
Place of death: Rome
Occupation: philosopher
Educated at: Gymnasium Theodorianum
Employer: University of Würzburg
Languages spoken: Latin
Religion: Catholic Church
Notable work: China Illustrata
Field of work: medicine
Image: Athanasius Kircher.jpg
Work location: Würzburg
Religious order: Society of Jesus

Show 13 more facts

date of birth: 1602-00-00
Commons category: Athanasius Kircher
Commons Creator page: Athanasius Kircher
Commons gallery: Athanasius Kircher
name in native language: Athanasius Kircher
maintained by WikiProject: WikiProject Mathematics
place of burial: Rome
writing language: Latin
has works in the collection: Biblioteca Virtual Miguel de Cervantes
P8168: kettlebell
start of work period: 1617-01-01
end of work period: 1680-01-01
date of death: 1680-00-00

Sources (4)

via Wikidata · CC0

Works in European collections

36 objects attributed to Athanasius Kircher, held across European museums, libraries & archives · via Europeana

Athanasii Kircheri ... Latium : Id est, Nova & parallela Latii tum veteris tum novi descriptio. Qua quaecunque vel natura, vel veterum Romanorum ingenium admiranda effecit, geographico-historico-physico ratiocino, juxta rerum gestarum, temporumque seriem exponitur & enucleatur

Athanasii Kircheri e soc. Jesu Mundus subterraneus, in XII libros digestus ... tomus I [-II] ad Alexandrum VII pont. opt. max.

Athanasii Kircheri ... China monumentis qua sacris quà profanis nec non variis naturae artis spectaculis aliarumque rerum memorabilium argumentis illustrata

Athanasii Kircheri... Arithmologia sive de abditis numerorum Arierijs qua origo, antiquitas & fabrica numerorum exponitur

Athanasii Kircheri ... e Soc. Iesu Prodromus coptus siue aegyptiacus .. cum linguae coptae siue aegyptiacae ... tum hieroglyphicae literaturae instauratio ... exhibentur

Athanasii Kircheri diatribe De prodigiosis crucibus que tam supra vestes hominum, quam res alias, non pridem post vltimum incendium Vesuuuij montis Neapoli comparuerunt

Ad Alexandrum VII, Pont. Max Obelisci Aegyptiaci nuper inter Isaei Romani rudera effossi interpetatio hieroglyphica Athanasii Kircheri

Athanasii Kircheri e Soc. Iesu Polygraphia nova et vniuersalis ex combinatoria arte detecta quà quiuis etiam linguarum quantumuis imperitus triplici methodo ... : in III. syntagmata distributa ..

Athanasij Kircheri e Soc. Iesu Itinerarium exstaticum quo mundi opificium id est coelestis expansi, siderumque tam errantium, quam fixorum natura, viers, proprietates, singulorumque compositio & structura, ab infimo telluris globo, vsque ad vltima mundi confinia,... noua hypothesi exponitur ad veritatem toribus Cosmiele et Theodidacto

Athanasii Kircheri ... Turris Babel sive Archontologia qua primo priscorum post diluvium hominum vita ... secundo Turris fabrica civitatumque extructio ..

Athanasii Kircheri e Soc. Jesu Magneticum naturae regnum sive Disceptatio physiologica de triplici in natura rerum magnete juxta triplicem ejusdem naturae gradum digesto inanimato, animato, sensitivo..

Athanasii Kircheri ... Musurgia vniuersalis siue Ars magna consoni et dissoni in X libros digesta .. tomus I

Athanasii Kircheri... Magnes siue De arte magnetica opus tripartitum quo vniuersa magnetis natura, eiusque in omnibus scientijs artibus vsus, noua methodo explicatur..

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Encyclopedic overview

Athanasius Kircher (2 May 1601/1602 – 27 November 1680) was a German Jesuit scholar and polymath who published around 40 major works of comparative religion, geology, and medicine. Kircher has been compared to fellow Jesuit Roger Joseph Boscovich and to Leonardo da Vinci for his vast range of interests, and has been honoured with the title "Master of a Hundred Arts". He taught for more than 40 years at the Roman College, where he set up a wunderkammer or cabinet of curiosities that would become the Kircherian Museum. A resurgence of interest in Kircher has occurred within the scholarly community in recent decades.

Kircher claimed to have deciphered the hieroglyphic writing of the ancient Egyptian language, but most of his assumptions and translations in the field turned out to be wrong. He did, however, correctly establish the link between the ancient Egyptian and the Coptic languages, and some commentators regard him as the founder of Egyptology. Kircher was also fascinated with Sinology and wrote an encyclopedia of China, where he revealed the early presence of Nestorian Christians while also attempting to establish links with Egypt and Christianity.

Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Athanasius Kircher” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.