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 the Dutch edition of Kircher's famous Subterranean World, which was first published in 1665 in Latin under the title Mundus Subterraneus.

References: Norwich #157.

Condition: B+

A dark impression with light printer's ink residue, faint foxing, and some minor damp stains along the edges of the sheet. The top margin is narrow, but still ample for framing.