Hörrohre

The upper diagram illustrates a spiral or 'snail-shaped' tube designed to amplify sound, showing one figure speaking into the wide end while another listens at the narrow aperture. Sound waves are represented visually as overlapping circular lines within the device. Below it, a second illustration shows a hand holding a simpler, curved hearing horn intended for portable use.

Athanasius Kircher was a pioneer in acoustics, viewing the science of sound as a branch of natural magic that revealed the hidden harmonies of the world. These devices reflect the 17th-century transition from speculative 'universal harmony' to empirical mechanical invention, showing how the principles of physics could be applied to enhance the human senses.