A contemporary of newton and descartes, kircher was also the creator of one of europes earliest and most famous museums at the collegio romano in rome. Athanasius kircher wikimili, the best wikipedia reader. World is bound with secret knotsthe life and works of athanasius kircher, 16021680. The museum of jurassic technology culver city, california. A selection of images from works by and related to athanasius kircher held in the special collections and university archives of stanford university libraries. Athanasius kircher s theatre of the world softcover by joscelyn godwin. His investigations into the history of certain exhibits led to varying results of authenticity. Joscelyn godwins athanasius kircher3 s theatre of the world is the most recent homage to kircher, and not the first by this author. Despite the fact that most of his pseudoscientific ideas have been debunked, the novelty of athanasius kirchers genius lives on. Partly thanks to the book, the museums audience ap pears to have.
See 165 photos and 57 tips from 2823 visitors to museum of jurassic technology. Dont miss the life and works of athanasius kircher, a 17th century jesuit scholar and man of a hundred talents, or the oddly moving portrait gallery of soviet space dogs, all female. Joscelyn godwin is our ideal guide through this highly symbolic and mysterious yet rational universe. Athanasius kircher 1601 or 16021680 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. Ideas in society, 15001700 athanasius kircher, sj david harley. Kircher had a museum filled with oddities and inventions. The athanasius kircher society is a wonderful sister site to boing boing. Some of his other books are very well decorated with creative and entertaining drawings, such as his book of bible stories arca noe amsterdam, 1675.
The life of athanasius kircher museum of jurassic technology. It is a very fascinating look at a man who lived in the 1600s. Considered by many to be the greatest polymath in an encyclopedia age, athanasius kircher was a scholar who aspired to expertise in many different domains of knowledge and sought connections among them in a quest to recover ancient pansophia universal wisdom. Athanasius kircher 16021680 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. Jan 22, 2019 the contemporary artist cybele 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. Around the same time, the iconoclastic david wilson installed kircher as the muse of his own latterday cabinet of curiosities, the museum of jurassic technology in culver city, california. Kircher, athanasius 1602 1680, german jesuit polymath and collector.
Kirchers museum at the collegio romano athanasius kircher. A survey of the fields of study, writings and inventions of. The athanasius kircher society had a weblog devoted to unusual ephemera, which very occasionally relate to kircher. Athanasius kircher, the seventeenthcentury jesuit polymath. Museum of jurassic technology gift shop athanasius. The world is bound by secret knots athanasius kircher the jesuit scholar athanasius kircher 16021680 is one of historys more intriguing figures. Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world by joscelyn godwin books.
At regular intervals an eerily pleasant tinkling filled the room, produced. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. Kircher has been compared to fellow jesuit roger boscovich and to leonardo da vinci for his enormous range of interests, and has been honoured with the title master of a hundred arts. Kircher has been compared to fellow jesuit roger boscovich and to leonardo da vinci for his enormous range of. Contains illustrations from kirchers books with short but wellwritten articles. Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world softcover. This site is home to the many and varied athanasius kircher collections and research activities at stanford university, including the athanasius kircher correspondence project. Wilsons cabinet of wonders a book about the museum of jurassic technology, thinks it is because kircher is the premodern root of. Apart from his interest in ancient civilizations and biblical. The stanford university libraries presented the exhibit, the great art of knowing. The world is bound with secret knots lenticular postcard. A subversive, witty and brilliant enterprise, the museum of jurassic technology challenges the very nature of what a museum is or should be, while also taking its place as one of the most.
Commemorating the 400th anniversary of the renowned jesuits birth, the exhibit featured over 50 rare 17th and 18th century editions acquired by stanford in 1998 from the collection of ella and bernard mazel. Athanasius kircher biography history, school, book, old. The following year, i moved to stanford and discovered the pleasure of having a wonderful colleague in east asian languages and literature, haun saussy, who shared. Aug 16, 2008 the collections of the museum, which was founded in 1989 and is being curated by david hildebrand wilson and diana wilson, span over three little buildings and consist of pieces from about a dozen subcollections which are often centered around a certain subject such as belief and knowledge or personalities like athanasius kircher and their. A divination table from the exhibit, the world is bound with secret knots the life and works of athanasius kircher, 1602 1680. The museum recently opened a new gallery dedicated to the work of athanasius kircher, the seventeenthcentury jesuit polymath. John glassies book, a man of misconceptions, traces connections between kircher and figures such as gianlorenzo bernini, rene descartes, and. Lawrence weschler, the head of the institute and the author of mr. Despite the fact that most of his pseudoscientific ideas have been debunked, the novelty of athanasius kircher s genius lives on. Iconography and probabilism in the mundus subterraneus of athanasius kircher by mark waddell in centaurus, january 2006 magic and artifice in the collection of athanasius kircher by mark waddell in endeavour, march 2010.
Athanasius kircher, the last renaissance man per edward w. The world is bound with secret knots museum of jurassic. The kircher society recently has its first annual meeting in new york. Mundus subterraneus by athanasius kircher abebooks. The strange life of athanasius kircher by marilee peters with illustrations by roxanna bikadoroff is a weird ride through the life of a curious character. Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world softcover by joscelyn godwin. While his hieroglyphs were all wring, his coptic dictionary proved invaluable to their decipherment eventually. A postmodernist of the 1600s is back in fashion the new. The collections of the museum, which was founded in 1989 and is being curated by david hildebrand wilson and diana wilson, span over three little buildings and consist of pieces from about a dozen subcollections which are often centered around a certain subject such as belief and knowledge or personalities like athanasius kircher and their. May 25, 2002 lawrence weschler, the head of the institute and the author of mr. The germanborn jesuit scholar athanasius kircher c. Possessed of a profound erudition, he achieved great renown in his own time, and yet has now slid into a neartotal obscurity. On athanasius kircher, the nation, april 3, 20, accessed.
In a man of misconceptions, his 2012 book about kircher, john glassie writes. These are just three of the thirtynine books kircher wrote. The museum of athanasius kircher 1602 1680 in the jesuit college of rome was an obligatory stop for highclass tourists, from john evelyn the diarist to queen christina of sweden, but they never knew what to expect. Bell wheelbell wheel in motion, museum of jurassic technology. Oct 02, 2009 athanasius kirchers theatre of the world. You may be aware when you enter the museum that the appearance of anything that could be considered technology didnt occur until about 150 million years after the jurassic period. Enter the dark and completely unique world of the museum of jurassic technology. Wilsons cabinet of wonders a book about the museum of jurassic technology, thinks it is because kircher is the premodern.
Kircher has been compared to fellow jesuit roger boscovich and to leonardo da vinci for his enormous range of interests, and has been honoured with the title master of a hundred. Kircher has been compared to fellow jesuit roger boscovich and to leonardo da vinci for his enormous range. Museum of jurassic technology gift shop athanasius kircher. This work contains all that was known in his day on the subject of electricity and magnetism. A musicologist at colgate university, in hamilton, new york, godwin has already devoted several books and articles to the german priest. Rooted in the natural history museums of the 17th century when collections ranged from the natural world to works of art to mysterious, unexplainable phenomena the museum of jurassic technology is an oddity in this relentlessly modern city, where celebrity and selfpromotion generally hold more popular appeal than quiet reflection and. Athanasius kirchers museum in rome the zymoglyphic museum. Athanasius kircher at stanford kircher and kircheriana. Some of them are huge, bigger than altar sacramentaries and with large print, as if they were meant to be on continual display. With hundreds of illustrations and an encyclopaedic text which covers the vast expanse of kircher s worldscope. Athanasius kircher is perhaps known to literature fans as the early modern source that passed along the manuscript written down by adso from umberto ecos the name of the rose. With this in mind i walked into a room dedicated to athanasius kircher. It was founded by david hildebrand wilson and diana drake wilson husband and wife 1 in 1988.
Museum of jurassic technology gift shop athanasius kirchers. Chf is a nonprofit library, museum, and center for scholars dedicated to the history of chemistry. The contemporary artist cybele 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. A contemporary of newton, boyle, leibniz and descartes, kirchers rightful place in the history of science has been shrouded by his attempt to forge a unified world view out of traditional biblical historicism and the emerging secular scientific theory of knowledge. With hundreds of illustrations and an encyclopaedic text which covers the vast. Athanasius kircher wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The museum image above is from stanford universitys highly. 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. The dimly lit space contained about 10 glass cases, each devoted to something that seemed vaguely scientific, vaguely mystical. On athanasius kircher paula findlen, teacher of history at stanford university and is the author of possessing nature in 1680, a small procession of jesuits ascended a. A virtual exhibition from the excellent museum of jurassic technology.
Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world by joscelyn godwin. There is a sense of familiarityprovided by the careful presentation, the informative text, the. It calls itself an educational institution dedicated to the advancement of knowledge and the public appreciation of the lower jurassic, the relevance of the term lower jurassic to the museum s collections being. Roth in technology and culture, january 2002 the world, as it might be. Museum of jurassic technology gift shop recommended books. The museum of jurassic technology describes kirchers turris babel. Wilsons cabinet of wonders a book about the museum of jurassic technology, thinks it is.
Description kirchers great final work on magnetism athanasius kircher. Kircher 160280 spanned the worlds of spirituality and materialism, and he lived before the emergence of specialized disciplines in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Athanasius kircherus, 2 may 1602 28 november 1680 was a german jesuit scholar and polymath who published around 40 major works, most notably in the fields of comparative religion, geology, and medicine. He was as well considered one of the patrons of the hermit foundation and the center for metamedia plasy. Athanasius kircher 160280, having been neglected for centuries, has become something of a.
Las museum of jurassic technology will make you question. David wilson, director of the museum of jurassic technology, writes on the 17th century scholar, inventor, curator, and early progenitor of weird science, athanasius kircher. His ethnographic collection is in the pigorini national museum of prehistory and ethnography in rome. His tertianship completed, kircher was sent to wurzburg, where he taught mathematics, completed and published his first book on magnetic phenomena, and. The museum of jurassic technology at its heart, according to wilson, is a museum interested in presenting.
With his enormous range of scholarly pursuits, the 17thcentury polymath athanasius kircher 2 may, 1602 28 november, 1680 has been hailed as the last renaissance man and the master of a hundred arts. Many of these books are published in conjunction with the society for the diffusion of useful information. The permanent exhibition the world is bound with secret knots at the museum of jurassic technology is based on the life and work of kircher. Athanasius kircher biography history, school, book, old, born. Selection and captions by michael john gorman, 2001. He also invented the first megaphone he made an early study of egyptian hieroglyphs, and has been considered the founder of egyptology. The museum of jurassic technology we make money not art.
With hundreds of illustrations and an encyclopaedic text which covers the vast expanse of kirchers worldscope. Athanasius kircher planetary talisman occult artwork. The museum image above is from stanford universitys highly recommended athanasius kircher project. Kircher, if you dont know, was the 17th century jesuit. Kircher has been compared to fellow jesuit roger boscovich and to leonardo da vinci for his enormous range of interests, and has been honoured with the title master of a. The kircher correspondence is once again available as.