Petrus Apianus
Petrus Apianus (April 16, 1495 – April 21, 1552),[1] also known as Peter Apian, Peter Bennewitz, and Peter Bienewitz, was a German humanist, known for his works in mathematics, astronomy and cartography.[2] His work on "cosmography", the field that dealt with the earth and its position in the universe, was presented in his most famous publications, Astronomicum Caesareum (1540) and Cosmographicus liber (1524). His books were extremely influential in his time, with the numerous editions in multiple languages being published until 1609. The lunar crater Apianus and asteroid 19139 Apian are named in his honour.[2]
Life and work
Apianus was born as Peter Bienewitz (or
In 1519, Apianus moved to Vienna and continued his studies at the University of Vienna, which was considered one of the leading universities in geography and mathematics at the time and where Georg Tannstetter taught. When the plague broke out in Vienna in 1521, he completed his studies with a BA and moved to Regensburg and then to Landshut. At Landshut, he produced his Cosmographicus liber (1524), a highly respected work on astronomy and navigation which was to see more than 40 reprints in four languages (Latin; French, 1544; Dutch, 1545; Spanish, 1548) and that remained popular until the end of the 16th century.[3] Later editions were produced by Gemma Frisius.[4]
In 1527, Peter Apianus was called to the University of Ingolstadt as a mathematician and printer. His print shop started small. Among the first books he printed were the writings of Johann Eck, Martin Luther's antagonist. This print shop was active between 1543 and 1540 and became well known for its high-quality editions of geographic and cartographic works.[citation needed] It is thought that he used stereotype printing techniques on woodblocks.[7] The printer's logo included the motto Industria superat vires in Greek, Hebrew, and Latin around the figure of a boy.[8]
Through his work, Apianus became a favourite of
Despite many calls from other universities, including
Apianus married the daughter of a councilman of Landshut, Katharina Mosner, in 1526. They would have fourteen children together, five girls and nine sons, one of whom was Philipp Apian (1531–1589), who, in addition to his own research, preserved the legacy of his father.[20]
Works
- Cosmographicus liber (in Latin). Landshut: Johann Weissenburger. 1524.[21] (also called Cosmographia)
- Cosmographicus liber (in Latin). Antwerpen: Jean Bellère (1.; 1553-1595). 1584.
- Ein newe und wolgegründete underweisung aller Kauffmanns Rechnung in dreyen Büchern, mit schönen Regeln und fragstücken begriffen, Ingolstadt 1527. A handbook of commercial arithmetic; depicted in the painting The Ambassadors by Hans Holbein the Younger.
- Cosmographiae introductio, cum quibusdam Geometriae ac Astronomiae principiis ad eam rem necessariis, Ingolstadt 1529.[22]: 4
- Ein kurtzer bericht der Observation unnd urtels des jüngst erschinnen Cometen..., Ingolstadt 1532. On his comet observations.[citation needed]
- Quadrans Apiani astronomicus, Ingolstadt 1532. On quadrants.[22]: 90
- Horoscopion Apiani..., Ingolstadt 1533. On sundials.[22]: 91
- Folium populi (in Latin). Ingolstadt: Peter Apian. 1533.
- Instrument Buch..., Ingolstadt 1533. A scientific book on astronomical instruments in German.[22]: 97
- Instrumentum primi mobilis (in Latin). Nürnberg: Johann Petreius. 1534.. On trigonometry, contains sine tables.[22]: 103
- Astronomicum Caesareum. Ingolstadt. 1540. p. 126.
-
Instrumentum primi mobilis, 1534
Footnotes
References
- ^ Kish (1970)
- ^ a b "19139 Apian (1989 GJ8)". Minor Planet Center. Retrieved 3 January 2018.
- ^ Hermine Röttel & Wolfgang Kauzner, "Die Druckwerke Peter Apians", in: K. Röttel (ed.), Peter Apian: Astronomie, Kosmographie und Mathematik am Beginn der Neuzeit. Buxheim/Eichstätt, Polygon-Verlag, 1995, pp. 255--276.
- S2CID 143068275.
- .
- .
- .
- ISSN 0024-2160.
- ^ "APIAN, Peter (ursprünglich Bienewitz oder Bennewitz)". Bautz.de. Retrieved 2013-03-19.
- S2CID 125121795.
- ^ Gislén, Lars (2017). "Apinanus' latitude volvelles – how were they made?". Journal of Astronomical History and Heritage. 20: 13–20.
- Bibcode:1959JRASC..53..197S.
- S2CID 145478879.
- S2CID 118175748.
- S2CID 120627901.
- ^ Carole Stott, Celestial Charts, Antique Maps of the Heavens, 1995, Studio Editions, London, England P38-39
- ISSN 0151-4105.
- Bibcode:1995AGAb...11..107W.
- S2CID 143560300.
- ^ Ralf Kern. Wissenschaftliche Instrumente in ihrer Zeit. Volume 1: Vom Astrolab zum mathematischen Besteck. Cologne, 2010. p. 332.
- .
- ^ a b c d e van Ostroy, Fernand Gratien (1902). Bibliographie de l'oeuvre de Pierre Apian (in French). P. Jacquin.
Further reading
- Kish, George (1970). "Apian, Peter". ISBN 0-684-10114-9.
- Röttel, K. (Ed.): Peter Apian: Astronomie, Kosmographie und Mathematik am Beginn der Neuzeit, Polygon-Verlag 1995; ISBN 3-928671-12-X. In German.
- Christian Kahl (2005). "Apian, Peter (ursprünglich Bienewitz oder Bennewitz)". In Bautz, Traugott (ed.). Biographisch-Bibliographisches Kirchenlexikon (BBKL) (in German). Vol. 24. Nordhausen: Bautz. cols. 107–114. ISBN 3-88309-247-9.
- Peter and Philipp Apian, in German.
- Ralf Kern. Wissenschaftliche Instrumente in ihrer Zeit. Volume 1: Vom Astrolab zum mathematischen Besteck. Cologne, 2010.
External links
- O'Connor, John J.; Robertson, Edmund F., "Petrus Apianus", MacTutor History of Mathematics Archive, University of St Andrews
- Petrus Apianus.
- Astronomicum Caesareum at the library of the ETH Zurich.
- Astronomicum Caesareum at Rare Book Room.
- Astronomicum Caesareum, Ingolstadt 1540 da www.atlascoelestis.com
- Electronic facsimile-editions of the rare book collection at the Vienna Institute of Astronomy
- Online Galleries, History of Science Collections, University of Oklahoma Libraries High resolution images of works by and/or portraits of Petrus Apianus in .jpg and .tiff format.
- Horoscopion Apiani Generale…, Ingolstadt 1533 da www.atlascoelestis.com
- Cosmographiae Introductio, 1537 from the Collections at the Library of Congress
- Cosmographia, 1544 (1st edition was 1524)