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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileAthanasius Kircher - Mundus subterraneus (1665) - BL 505.ee.4 - 5
The image is an engraving showing a dark, cross-sectioned view of the Earth's interior, dominated by a large, flame-filled central cavity labeled 'A'. From this central core, branch-like veins stretch upwards and outwards to connect with various subterranean pockets labeled with individual letters of the alphabet, suggesting a complex system of internal circulation. Above and below this subterranean mass are simplified representations of hills and trees on the surface, while specific outlets, labeled 'Thermae' on the right, indicate where internal heat reaches the surface to create hot springs.
This illustration is from Athanasius Kircher's 'Mundus subterraneus' (1665), a seminal work in the history of geology and natural philosophy that attempted to map the Earth's interior according to Hermetic principles and speculative physical theory. It represents an early modern attempt to synthesize observations of volcanoes and geothermal activity into a unified subterranean theory of the globe.
A B D F G H I L M N O Q R S T V W X Y Z Thermae Thermae
Translation
Thermae (Thermal Springs/Baths)
Athanasius Kircher, Mundus subterraneus
This is a direct plate illustration from the 1665 publication which details Kircher's subterranean theories.
Object
engraving
laid paper
Baroque
German
scientific
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
800 × 400 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.