Fascinating map of the southern part of Africa showing the fountains of the Nile located in an underground cavern beneath the Mountains of the Moon. Kircher's map illustrates a report by Peter Paez, a contemporary Jesuit colleague, that purportedly observed the 'fountains' in 1618. Athanasius Kircher was a Jesuit scholar whose theories included the notion that the world's oceans were all interconnected and there was a vast network of underground springs and reservoirs. Published in a Dutch edition of Kircher's famous Subterranean World by Johann Waesberger.

References: Norwich #157.

Condition: A

Repair on bottom fold in blank margin. Bit of minor soil in map, still overall very good.