Kircher - Lingua Aegyptiaca - 1643

Kircher Athanasius

Lingua Aegyptiaca Restituita opus tripartitum

Rome - 1643 -
Ludovicum Grignanum

(76), 622, (1)p.
In 4o - 23,5 X 18 cm. -

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

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

A fundamental work, composed by the Jesuit Kircher, which stands as a pillar in 17th-century Coptic and Egyptological studies.

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

It was argued that Coptic was the direct descendant language of the ancient Egyptians.
Kircher used the text as an opportunity to include broad revisions to his “Prodromus Coptus”: various scholars had noted errors in his previous work.
The “Lingua Aegyptiaca Restituita,” on the other hand, was regarded as an authoritative work for many years: even in 1775 some of its parts were incorporated into Scholtz and Woide’s “Lexicon Aegyptiaco-Latinum.”

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

Splendid period binding in half-leather with corners.
Rigid marbled boards.
Elaborate gold decorations on the spine, with a tan morocco inlay bearing the author and title in gold.
Excellent conservation.

Also very good preservation of the interiors, with fresh and clean pages.
Some slight browning and foxing are noted, but the text is perfectly legible.
Gilded edges.
Original endpapers preserved.

In this edition (variant B) the front free endpaper is not included.

Very rare and important Kircherian text, collated and complete.