Agricola

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

Agricola, Georgius, Latinized from Georg Bauer, 1494-1555, German physician and scientist, known as the father of mineralogy. He was a pioneer in physical geology and the first to classify minerals scientifically. His celebrated work De re metallica (1556) was a standard in metallurgy and mining for over a century and was translated into English (1912) by Herbert C. Hoover and Lou H. Hoover.

Agricola, Johann or Johannes, c.1494-1566, German Protestant minister, whose family name was Schnitter (originally Schneider). He was born at Eisleben and is sometimes called Magister Islebius. He had an early association with Martin Luther and was active in the founding of Protestantism. In 1536 he espoused antinomianism, thus breaking with Luther. He was court preacher to Joachim II, elector of Brandenburg and helped draw up the Augsburg Interim. Agricola also made a collection of German proverbs.

Agricola, Rudolphus, 1443-85, Dutch humanist, whose real name was Roelof Huysmann. He opposed scholasticism and spread the culture of the Renaissance throughout Germany greatly influencing Erasmus and other scholars.

orig. Georg Bauer

(born March 24, 1494, Clauchau, Saxony—died Nov. 21, 1555, Chemnitz) German scholar and scientist known as the father of mineralogy. A town physician in Saxony (1527–33), he was among the first to found a natural science upon observation as opposed to speculation. His De re metallica (1556) dealt chiefly with mining and smelting; his De natura fossilium (1546), considered the first mineralogy textbook, presented the first scientific classification of minerals (based on their physical properties) and described many new minerals, their occurrence, and mutual relationships.

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orig. Georg Bauer

(born March 24, 1494, Clauchau, Saxony—died Nov. 21, 1555, Chemnitz) German scholar and scientist known as the father of mineralogy. A town physician in Saxony (1527–33), he was among the first to found a natural science upon observation as opposed to speculation. His De re metallica (1556) dealt chiefly with mining and smelting; his De natura fossilium (1546), considered the first mineralogy textbook, presented the first scientific classification of minerals (based on their physical properties) and described many new minerals, their occurrence, and mutual relationships.

Learn more about Agricola, Georgius with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Agricola is Latin for farmer and can refer to a number of different people and things.

Places

• Agricola, Mississippi

People

Romans

• Gnaeus Julius Agricola, Roman general, whose biography Agricola was written by the historian Tacitus.
• Julia Agricola, wife of Tacitus.
• Sextus Calpurnius Agricola, Roman governor of the mid second century AD.

As Latin translation of Germanic surnames

Original names: Bauer, Schneider, Schnitter, Hausmann, Huusman, Huysman, Huysmein.

• Alexander Agricola (1446–1506), Franco-Flemish composer of the Renaissance.
• Christoph Ludwig Agricola (1667-1719), German landscape painter
• Georg Agricola (1494-1555), German scholar and scientist.
• Georg Andreas Agricola (1672-1738), German physician and naturalist.
• Ignaz Agricola (1661–1729), German Jesuit.
• Johann Friedrich Agricola (1720-1774), German composer.
• Johannes Agricola (1494-1566), German scholar and theologian.
• Martin Agricola (1486-1556), German composer and music theorist of the Renaissance.
• Mikael Agricola (1510-1557), Finnish theologian, reformer and "The Father of Finnish written language".
• Rodolphus Agricola (1443-1485), Dutch scholar and humanist.

Christian saints

• Saints Vitalis and Agricola, martyrs of the fourth century.
• Saint Agricola of Avignon, bishop of Avignon during the seventh century.

Things

• Agricola's Ditch, a defensive structure spanning the width of Britain, built by Gnaeus Julius Agricola
• Agricola (book), biography of Julius Agricola written by Tacitus
• Auster Agricola, unsuccessful aerial topdressing aircraft from the 1950s.
• Agricola (database), database of scientific papers operated by the United States National Agricultural Library
• 3212 Agricola, asteroid discovered by Yrjö Väisälä in 1939.
• Agricola (school), secret non-commissioned officer school operated by the Szare Szeregi during World War II.
• Agricola (vehicles), Greek 4x4 truck manufacturer.
• Agricola (board game), a German boardgame released in 2007