Images from the book "„De re metallica libri XII“ 1556
Georg (or Georgius) Agricola (March 24, 1490 - November 21, 1555) was a German scholar and man of science. Known as "the father of mineralogy", he was born at Glauchau in Saxony. His real name was Georg Bauer; Agricola is the Latinised version of his name.
His most famous work, the De re metallica libri xii, was published in 1556, though apparently finished several years before, since the dedication to the elector and his brother is dated 1550. It is a complete and systematic treatise on mining and metallurgy, illustrated with many fine and interesting woodcuts and containing, in an appendix, the German equivalents for the technical terms used in the Latin text. It long remained a standard work, and marks its author as one of the most accomplished chemists of his time.
