George Pawers (Georg Agricola Pawers)

George Pawers:

George Bauer was a physician, historian, philosopher, philolgish, educator, engineer, mineralogist, chemist, geologist, and miner-yes he was really that smart.  Many of these subjects he taught at universities and he worked in all these fields.  He was born in Glauchau,Saxony on 24^th of March, 1555.  He practiced medicine in Joachimsthal, Bohemia for years before moving to other areas inSaxony.  He was outspoken on all subjects he was schooled in. 

As an adult, he Latinized his name to Georg Agricola. Pawers and Agricola both mean farmer in their language.  Eventually he ended up at Chemnitz, which was the center of mining in Germany.  This is where he started studying mining and minerals.  Eventually, he wrote the book “De Re Metallica” which means “on the nature of metals”.  This is the first such book written on mining.  It was published in 1556, a year after his death.  This delay was due to the many wood cuttings that had to be prepared for the book.  This book was so comprehensive and well done it was the authority on mining and mining engineering for over 180 years.  It was also a major work in the field of chemistry.

Because of his wide variety of knowledge and his work in minerals and mining, he has always be a hero of mine.

We have a reprint of his book in the longue for your viewing.

Fantasy Rockhounding Lineup: Would George make your team? Learn more about the Fantasy Rochounding Lineup Challenge Here...