Kircher - Lingua Aegyptiaca - 1643

Kircher Athanasius

Restituted Egyptian Language, a tripartite work

Rome - 1643 -
Ludovicum Grignanum

(76), 622, (1)p.
In 4o - 23.5 X 18 cm. -

THE OLDEST WESTERN TRANSCRIPTION KNOWN OF MUSIC IN THE COPTIC LANGUAGE.

Dedicated to the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, Ferdinand III, and published in Rome by Herman Scheuss.

A fundamental work, composed by the Jesuit Kircher, which stands as a pillar in Coptic studies and Egyptology of the XVII century.

The volume presents a grammar, a lexicon, and an exhaustive analysis of Coptic, drawing on medieval Arabic manuscripts and Kircher’s interactions with Coptic informants in Europe to connect Pharaonic antiquity with contemporary linguistics.

It was maintained that Coptic was the direct descendant language of the ancient Egyptians.
Kircher used the text as an opportunity to include extensive revisions to his “Prodromus Coptus”: several scholars had pointed out errors in his previous work.
The “Lingua Aegyptiaca Restituta” on the other hand was regarded as an authoritative work for many years: as late as 1775 some of its parts were incorporated into Scholtz and Woide’s “Lexicon Aegypto-Latinum.”

The work also contains tables of the Coptic and Arabic names of the zodiac signs and of the 28 groups of equinoctial-ecliptic stars.
Kircher asserts that the ancient Egyptian names, preserved in Coptic, formed the basis of the Babylonian and Indian names for the same equinoctial-ecliptic stars.

Splendid mid-leather binding with corners.
Rigid marbleized boards.
Elaborate gilded decorations on the back, with a tan morocco inlay panel bearing the author and title in gold.
Excellent condition.

Very good also the condition of the interiors, with fresh and clean leaves.
Some slight browning and foxing are noted, but the text remains perfectly readable.
Edges speckled with minium.
Original endpapers preserved.

In this edition (variant B) the half-title is not provided.

Very rare and important Kircherian text, collated and complete.