The museum recently opened a new gallery dedicated to the work of athanasius kircher, the seventeenthcentury jesuit polymath. Athanasius kircher at stanford kircher and kircheriana. The museum of jurassic technology describes kirchers turris babel. The museum image above is from stanford universitys highly recommended athanasius kircher project. The athanasius kircher society had a weblog devoted to unusual ephemera, which very occasionally relate to kircher. While his hieroglyphs were all wring, his coptic dictionary proved invaluable to their decipherment eventually. The stanford university libraries presented the exhibit, the great art of knowing. He was as well considered one of the patrons of the hermit foundation and the center for metamedia plasy. 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. The world is bound with secret knots museum of jurassic. Kirchers museum at the collegio romano athanasius kircher. Athanasius kircher 160280, having been neglected for centuries, has become something of a.
Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world softcover by joscelyn godwin. This work contains all that was known in his day on the subject of electricity and magnetism. He also invented the first megaphone he made an early study of egyptian hieroglyphs, and has been considered the founder of egyptology. The athanasius kircher society is a wonderful sister site to boing boing. 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.
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. Contains illustrations from kirchers books with short but wellwritten articles. The last of his books to be published during his lifetime, turris babel was kirchers attempt to reconstruct the specifics surrounding the famous biblical story, recounted in genesis 1011, of nimrods attempt to build a tower that reached the heavens. Kircher, athanasius 1602 1680, german jesuit polymath and collector. 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. John glassies book, a man of misconceptions, traces connections between kircher and figures such as gianlorenzo bernini, rene descartes, and. These are just three of the thirtynine books kircher wrote. Wilsons cabinet of wonders a book about the museum of jurassic technology, thinks it is. Museum of jurassic technology gift shop athanasius kircher. Despite the fact that most of his pseudoscientific ideas have been debunked, the novelty of athanasius kircher s genius lives on. At regular intervals an eerily pleasant tinkling filled the room, produced. 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.
On athanasius kircher, the nation, april 3, 20, accessed. Museum of jurassic technology gift shop athanasius. 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. His investigations into the history of certain exhibits led to varying results of authenticity. The museum of jurassic technology we make money not art.
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. 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, the last renaissance man per edward w. Kircher has been compared to fellow jesuit roger boscovich and to leonardo da vinci for his enormous range. A virtual exhibition from the excellent museum of jurassic technology.
Athanasius kircher biography history, school, book, old, born. Wilsons cabinet of wonders a book about the museum of jurassic technology, thinks it is because kircher is the premodern. Kircher, if you dont know, was the 17th century jesuit. The world is bound with secret knots lenticular postcard. Joscelyn godwins athanasius kircher3 s theatre of the world is the most recent homage to kircher, and not the first by this author. 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. Athanasius kircher biography history, school, book, old. 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.
There is a sense of familiarityprovided by the careful presentation, the informative text, the. Mundus subterraneus by athanasius kircher abebooks. The kircher correspondence is once again available as. Partly thanks to the book, the museums audience ap pears to have. 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. 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. 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. 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. Kircher has been compared to fellow jesuit roger boscovich and to leonardo da vinci for his enormous range of. Athanasius kirchers museum in rome the zymoglyphic museum. See 165 photos and 57 tips from 2823 visitors to museum of jurassic technology. Selection and captions by michael john gorman, 2001. May 25, 2002 lawrence weschler, the head of the institute and the author of mr.
Kircher 160280 spanned the worlds of spirituality and materialism, and he lived before the emergence of specialized disciplines in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Enter the dark and completely unique world of the museum of jurassic technology. 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. Despite the fact that most of his pseudoscientific ideas have been debunked, the novelty of athanasius kirchers genius lives on. Wilsons cabinet of wonders a book about the museum of jurassic technology, thinks it is because kircher is the premodern root of.
The germanborn jesuit scholar athanasius kircher c. Lawrence weschler, the head of the institute and the author of mr. In a man of misconceptions, his 2012 book about kircher, john glassie writes. 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. 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. 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. The museum image above is from stanford universitys highly.
His tertianship completed, kircher was sent to wurzburg, where he taught mathematics, completed and published his first book on magnetic phenomena, and. With this in mind i walked into a room dedicated to athanasius kircher. Museum of jurassic technology gift shop athanasius kirchers. Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world by joscelyn godwin books. It was founded by david hildebrand wilson and diana drake wilson husband and wife 1 in 1988. Oct 02, 2009 athanasius kirchers theatre of the world.
Chf is a nonprofit library, museum, and center for scholars dedicated to the history of chemistry. His ethnographic collection is in the pigorini national museum of prehistory and ethnography in rome. Athanasius kircher wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 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. Joscelyn godwin is our ideal guide through this highly symbolic and mysterious yet rational universe. A musicologist at colgate university, in hamilton, new york, godwin has already devoted several books and articles to the german priest.
Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world softcover. 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. Las museum of jurassic technology will make you question. Ideas in society, 15001700 athanasius kircher, sj david harley. World is bound with secret knotsthe life and works of athanasius kircher, 16021680. With hundreds of illustrations and an encyclopaedic text which covers the vast. A postmodernist of the 1600s is back in fashion the new. 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. The museum of jurassic technology culver city, california. Possessed of a profound erudition, he achieved great renown in his own time, and yet has now slid into a neartotal obscurity. 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. 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. 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.
Some of them are huge, bigger than altar sacramentaries and with large print, as if they were meant to be on continual display. 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. Athanasius kirchers theatre of the world by joscelyn godwin. This site is home to the many and varied athanasius kircher collections and research activities at stanford university, including the athanasius kircher correspondence project. 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 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. Athanasius kircher s theatre of the world softcover by joscelyn godwin. Bell wheelbell wheel in motion, museum of jurassic technology. Browse the amazon editors picks for the best books of 2019, featuring our. The kircher society recently has its first annual meeting in new york. With hundreds of illustrations and an encyclopaedic text which covers the vast expanse of kircher s worldscope. The life of athanasius kircher museum of jurassic technology. It is a very fascinating look at a man who lived in the 1600s. Athanasius kircher, the seventeenthcentury jesuit polymath.
Many of these books are published in conjunction with the society for the diffusion of useful information. Kircher had a museum filled with oddities and inventions. 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. 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. Athanasius kircher planetary talisman occult artwork. 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. 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. The museum of jurassic technology at its heart, according to wilson, is a museum interested in presenting. A survey of the fields of study, writings and inventions of. The world is bound by secret knots athanasius kircher the jesuit scholar athanasius kircher 16021680 is one of historys more intriguing figures. Museum of jurassic technology gift shop recommended books. Athanasius kircher wikimili, the best wikipedia reader.
Description kirchers great final work on magnetism athanasius kircher. Apart from his interest in ancient civilizations and biblical. With hundreds of illustrations and an encyclopaedic text which covers the vast expanse of kirchers worldscope. A divination table from the exhibit, the world is bound with secret knots the life and works of athanasius kircher, 1602 1680. The dimly lit space contained about 10 glass cases, each devoted to something that seemed vaguely scientific, vaguely mystical.
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