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Athanasius Kircher

German Jesuit scholar (1601 or 1602-1680)
Person human Q76738
Athanasius Kircher
Cornelis Bloemaert · Public Domain · Wikimedia
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Athanasius Kircher was born on May 2, 1602, in Geisa and died on November 27, 1680, in Rome [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][2][8][6][9][7]. He held citizenship in the Holy Roman Empire [7] and was a member of the Catholic Church [10]. His education included attendance at the Pontifical Gregorian University and the Gymnasium Theodorianum .

Kircher's occupations included linguist, mathematician, egyptologist, musicologist, music theorist, and polymath [4][6][7][11]. He worked in the fields of theology, linguistics, geology, and medicine . From 1637 to 1638, he served as royal confessor [12].

He was buried in Rome .

Key Facts

  • Date of birth: May 2, 1601[11], 1602[12]
  • Date of death: November 28, 1680[13], 1680[14]
  • Place of burial: Rome[15]
  • Country of citizenship: Holy Roman Empire[16], Germany[17]
  • Occupation: polymath[18], inventor[19], Catholic priest[20], astronomer[21], biologist[22], archaeologist[23], university teacher[24], writer[25], physicist[26], geologist[27], volcanologist[28], museologist[29], composer[30], historian[31]
  • Field of work: theology[32], linguistics[33], geology[34], medicine[35]
  • Position held: royal confessor[36]
  • Employer: Pontifical Gregorian University[37], University of Würzburg[38]
  • Educated at: Pontifical Gregorian University[39], Gymnasium Theodorianum[40]
  • Student: Gaspar Schott[41], Gioseffo Petrucci[42]
  • Notable work: Turris Babel[43], China Illustrata[44]
  • Religion or worldview: Catholic Church[45]
  • Sex or gender: male[46]
  • Commons category: Athanasius Kircher[47]
  • Religious order: Society of Jesus[48]
  • Family name: Kircher[49]
  • Given name: Athanasius[50]
  • Topic's main category: Category:Athanasius Kircher[51]
  • Commons gallery: Athanasius Kircher[52]
  • Work location: Heilbad Heiligenstadt[53], Würzburg[54]

Body

Works and Contributions

Things named for Athanasius Kircher include Kircher[55], an impact crater[56].

Why It Matters

Athanasius Kircher has Wikipedia articles in 26 language editions, a strong signal of global cultural recognition.[57] He is known by 46 alternative names across languages and contexts.[58]

Works attributed to him include Oedipus Aegyptiacus[59], a written work[60]; Ars Magna Lucis et umbrae[61], a literary work[62]; Turris Babel[63], a literary work[64]; and China Illustrata[65], a written work[66]. Entities named for him include Kircher[55], an impact crater[56].

FAQs

Where was Athanasius Kircher born?

Athanasius Kircher was born in Geisa[2].

Where did Athanasius Kircher die?

Athanasius Kircher died in Rome[4].

What did Athanasius Kircher do for work?

Athanasius Kircher worked as a linguist[5], mathematician[6], egyptologist[7], musicologist[8], and music theorist[9].

Where did Athanasius Kircher go to school?

Athanasius Kircher was educated at Pontifical Gregorian University[39] and Gymnasium Theodorianum[40].

Related Entities

geology Holy Roman Empire Johann Jakob Froberger linguistics medicine Metropolitan Museum of Art theology Würzburg

References

Programmatic citations — every numbered marker resolves to a verifiable graph row below.

Direct Wikidata claims

  1. [2] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  2. [4] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  3. [46] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  4. [16] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  5. [17] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  6. [36] ↑ . google.es. google.es. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  7. [39] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  8. [40] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  9. [32] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  10. [33] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  11. [34] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  12. [35] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  13. [5] ↑ . BeWeB. wikidata.org.
  14. [6] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  15. [7] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  16. [8] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  17. [9] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  18. [18] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  19. [19] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  20. [20] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  21. [21] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  22. [22] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  23. [23] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  24. [24] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  25. [25] ↑ . BeWeB. wikidata.org.
  26. [26] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  27. [27] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  28. [28] ↑ . Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  29. [29] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  30. [30] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  31. [31] ↑ . The Fine Art Archive. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  32. [37] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  33. [38] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  34. [15] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  35. [45] ↑ . Athanasius Kircher's China Illustrata. wikidata.org.
  36. [47] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  37. [1] ↑ . RKDartists. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  38. [11] ↑ . Österreichisches Musiklexikon Online. Retrieved . geographicus.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  39. [12] ↑ . data.bibliotheken.nl. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  40. [3] ↑ . BnF authorities. Retrieved . geographicus.com. Provenance: wikidata.org.
  41. [13] ↑ . RKDartists. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  42. [14] ↑ . data.bibliotheken.nl. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  43. [48] ↑ . Athanasius Kircher's China Illustrata. wikidata.org.
  44. [49] ↑ . BeWeB. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  45. [50] ↑ . BeWeB. wikidata.org.
  46. [43] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  47. [44] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  48. [41] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  49. [42] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  50. [51] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  51. [52] ↑ . wikidata.org.
  52. [53] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.
  53. [54] ↑ . Catalog of the German National Library. Retrieved . wikidata.org.

Inverse relationships (entities pointing at this one)

  1. [59] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [61] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [63] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [65] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [55] ↑ . wikidata.org. → on this site

Inline context (facts about related entities)

  1. [60] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  2. [62] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  3. [64] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  4. [66] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site
  5. [56] ↑ . Wikidata. wikidata.org. → on this site

Aggregate / graph-position facts

  1. [10] ↑ . Wikimedia Foundation. dumps.wikimedia.org.
  2. [57] ↑ . Wikidata sitelinks. wikidata.org.
  3. [58] ↑ . Wikidata aliases. wikidata.org.

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Edit History

Rolling log of changes to this entity's Wikidata record. Values shown reflect the current state of each edited property — follow the history link to see the precise diff for any edit.

  1. 4d ago · Printstream · 2026-10-12 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Gnd id → 118562347
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbremoveclaims-remove:1| */ Gnd id: 1051621070"
  2. 10d ago · Epìdosis · 2026-10-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Nlb authority id (belarus) → NLB-ar14808564
    Wikipedia languages → ['als', 'ar', 'arz', 'ast', 'az', 'azb', 'be', 'be_x_old', 'bg', 'ca', 'commons'
    Claims rich → —
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Nlb authority id (belarus): NLB-ar14808564, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/289738|batch #289738]]"
  3. 4w ago · Printstream · 2026-09-15 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Hessian biography person (gnd) id → 3309
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/54302|batch #54302]]: migrate GND to own IDs"
  4. 6w ago · Dodro · 2026-08-31 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Library of the university of santiago de compostela authority id → 981013402272107712
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Library of the university of santiago de compostela authority id: 981013402272107712"
  5. 11w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-30 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14688 → 76861
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14688: 76861, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/262250|batch #262250]]"
  6. 12w ago · Pierrotrgr · 2026-07-22 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Biblissima authority id → Charibert I
    "/* wbsetclaim-create:2||1 */ Biblissima authority id: Q243453, Import ID Biblissima V2 ([[:toollabs:editgroups/b/OR/74d891b831c|details]])"
  7. 14w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-07-10 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14611 → 100851
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14611: 100851, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/260288|batch #260288]]"
  8. 14w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-04 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14608 → 118562347
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14608: 118562347, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1783130387391"
  9. 15w ago · Printstream · 2026-07-02 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14585 → 53285
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14585: 53285, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782930557898"
  10. 16w ago · Printstream · 2026-06-26 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    P14536 → 373504
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ P14536: 373504, #quickstatements; #temporary_batch_1782462304762"
  11. 18w ago · Jindřich Rubeš · 2026-06-11 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Svkkl authority id → 0356102-Kircher-Athanasius-16021680
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Svkkl authority id: 0356102-Kircher-Athanasius-16021680, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259497|batch #259497]]"
  12. 18w ago · MariuszRokin · 2026-06-07 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Parsifal cluster id → 105328, 766302
    "/* wbcreateclaim-create:1| */ Parsifal cluster id: 766302, [[:toollabs:quickstatements/#/batch/259387|batch #259387]]"
  13. 21w ago · RVA2869 · 2026-05-23 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Described by source → Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary, Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, Riemann's Music Dictionary +7
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/33123|batch #33123]]: Remove redundant described by source (P1343) - ID P13576 is present."
  14. 21w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-21 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Occupation → linguist, mathematician, Egyptologist +21
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/32152|batch #32152]]: import P21 and P106 from GND (34)"
  15. 22w ago · Epìdosis · 2026-05-13 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    "/* wbeditentity-update:0| */ QuickStatements 3.0 [[:toollabs:qs-dev/batch/30851|batch #30851]]: match CERL IDs on the basis of GND (7)"
  16. 23w ago · Pescan · 2026-05-06 view diff on Wikidata ↗
    Local thumb → —
    "/* wbsetclaim-update:2||1|1 */ Encyclopaedia beliana id: kircher-athanasius"
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