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: A

A crisp impression on watermarked paper with short, professionally repaired centerfold separations at top and bottom and a hint of soiling. The right and left margins have been professionally extended to accommodate framing.