Agricola

Agricola (Cneius Julius Agricola) , c.AD 40-AD 93, Roman general, conqueror of Britain. After a distinguished military and political career (partly in Britain), he was made consul (AD 77) and was governor (AD 78?-AD 85?) of Britain. He pacified most of the island, conquering North Wales and advancing far into Scotland. He also circumnavigated the island.

Bibliography: See A. R. Burn, Agricola and Roman Britain (1953, repr. 1965).

Agricola, Georgius (1494–1555) Georgius Agricola, the ‘father of mineralogy’ was born Georg Bauer in Glaucau, Germany but, being educated in the classics and classical languages before studying medicine, used a Latin name in all his writings. After studying at Leipzig and in Italy he returned to Joachimstal in Bohemia as City Physician in that important mining community. There he took a keen interest in minerals, mining, and the miners. In 1534 he moved to another mining town, Chemnitz, where he held various official and civic posts. His books are the first to be devoted to the mining and smelting industries, although he also wrote on many scientific topics.

His first book was a brief introduction to mineralogy and mining. Later the mineralogical part was much expanded in his De natura fossilium. Various kinds of rocks, minerals, and fossils were described; volcanic heat was ascribed to the subterranean combustion of coal. Further geological ideas were expressed in De ortu et causis subterraneorum, which dealt with such matters as erosion by frost and running water and an attempted classification of ore deposits. Finally, in De re metallica he summarized the state of the art of mineral extraction, smelting, and use of metals. It became his best-known work and was enlivened by many excellent woodcut illustrations. This, like his other books, was written in Latin, many of the technical terms being invented by himself. It was to influence both the discussion of geology and mining matters in Europe for the next two centuries.

D. L. Dineley