Delubrum Samaritanum (The Samaritan Shrine)

The woodcut presents a tiered structure set against a seascape background. The top level features a central pentagram flanked by two human-bodied figures with animal heads—a canine-like figure (labeled 2) and a beast with a protruding tongue (labeled 1)—standing under an arch surmounted by a standing peacock. The middle level contains the head of a goat (3), a horse in profile (2), and a triangular pedestal (7). The base level features a chicken (4), a boat or ark (9), and a rooster (8). The composition uses numbered labels (1-10) to index the symbolic elements, typical of 17th-century hermetic illustrations.

This image originates from Athanasius Kircher's 'Oedipus Aegyptiacus' (1652–1654), a monumental work attempting to reconcile Egyptian hieroglyphics with Hermeticism, Christianity, and universal symbolism. Kircher incorrectly identifies this as a 'Samaritan Shrine,' reflecting the early modern obsession with uncovering a 'prisca theologia' or ancient, universal theological language through syncretic study.