Copernicus' Grave Found in Polish Church

AP via Yahoo! News ^ | 03.11.2005

[lizol]

Copernicus' Grave Found in Polish Church

WARSAW, Poland - Polish archeologists believe they have located the grave of 16th-century astronomer and solar-system proponent Nicolaus Copernicus in a Polish church, one of the scientists announced Thursday.

Copernicus, who died in 1543 at 70 after challenging the ancient belief that the sun revolved around the earth, was buried at the Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Frombork, 180 miles north of the capital, Warsaw.

Jerzy Gassowski, head of an archaeology and anthropology institute in Pultusk, central Poland, said his four-member team found what appears to be the skull of the Polish astronomer and clergyman in August, after a one-year search of tombs under the church floor.

"We can be almost 100 percent sure this is Copernicus," Gassowski told The Associated Press by phone after making the announcement during a meeting of scientists.

Gassowski said police forensic experts used the skull to reconstruct a face that closely resembled the features — including a broken nose and scar above the left eye — on a Copernicus self-portrait. The experts also determined the skull belonged to a man who died at about age 70.

The grave was in bad condition and not all remains were found, Gassowski said, adding that his team will try to find relatives of Copernicus to do more accurate DNA identification.

[blam]

"I'm always fascinated at how there's almost a line of delineation, or a magical length of time after a person's death where it beomes OK to dig them up for curiosity's sake."

Considering my interest in archaeology, I have too.

Now, there are many graves from the mid-1800's in this area (very acitic soil) that contain no trace of a human body...nothing is left in the spot where they were buried, nothing.

Also, I read an English study of water from water wells in England that were down stream of graveyards and all contained human protein in the water.

[Borges]

I know I was just being facetious. Good response though and thanks for the info. It was a poorly thought out joke.

[MeanWestTexan]

Did the RCC also kick him out for his heresy, or was that just Galelio?

(I would assume "no," considering where he was buried.)

[lexington minuteman 1775]

Copernicus was buried in Frombork?
And Robert Bork put democrats in orbits?
Just a koinkydink? I think not! / laughter alert!

[RightWhale]

Ptolemy knew the earth is round. Rotating, no.

[DaGman]

"Educated people by his time had known the Earth to be round for centuries and centuries."

Wasn't it just 51 years prior to Copernicus' death and not "centuries and centuries" that Christopher Columbus proved the earth was round. Prior to Colummbus, a round earth was a theory. I remember stories from grade school about how Columbus watched boats coming in on the horizon and how they resembled a fly crawling up the other side of a round apple. Do I have the right person and story? I think so.

[Aquinasfan]

Copernicus, who died in 1543 at 70 after challenging the ancient belief that the sun revolved around the earth, was buried at the Roman Catholic cathedral in the city of Frombork, 180 miles north of the capital, Warsaw.

Several cardinals contributed to funding his research.

[LizardQueen]

I'm always fascinated at how there's almost a line of delineation, or a magical length of time after a person's death where it beomes OK to dig them up for curiosity's sake.

That's why I want to be cremated. I don't want my skull sitting on anyone's desk 500 years from now.

LQ

[Aquinasfan]

I'm always fascinated at how there's almost a line of delineation, or a magical length of time after a person's death where it beomes OK to dig them up for curiosity's sake.

And displayed underglass in public. I think it's disgusting and disrespectful. Bury the dead and leave them buried. Corpses shouldn't be curiosities.

[Verginius Rufus]

Copernicus sent his book to the printer just before he died. I think he saw the printed book when he was on his deathbed. The Catholic Church did not condemn his theory until about 70 years later. Luther and Calvin were much quicker to condemn his views.

Will they be able to tell from his DNA if he was an ethnic Pole or a German (as the Germans claim)?

[bert]

I dont think anyone noticed the closed door session....

My thought was that his burial site has always been known and at intervals various bones were removed for some reason that seemed valid at the time. Thad made for what is apparently disarray.

[Mikey_1962]

Sure looks like the sun goes around the earth to me...

[TXBubba]

ROFL..chicken spit...LOL! I'm going to remember that one!

[Aquinasfan]

Did the RCC also kick him out for his heresy, or was that just Galelio?

Galileo came into conflict with the Church because he wanted the Church to teach heliocentrism dogmatically when the science of the day didn't support Galileo's hypothesis. In fact, at about the same time, several cardinals were funding Copernicus' research.

Regardlesss, both individual cardinals and Church tribunals have always been considered fallible, so the point with regard to dogmatic Church teaching is moot.

[Sacajaweau]

btt

[RightWhale]

Ptolemy demonstrated that the earth is round. 1350 years before Columbus. It was common knowledge and right in the Almagest.

[Professional Engineer]

ping

[BikerNYC]

Yeah. That's exactly what they want you to believe.

[BikerNYC]

Galileo came into conflict with the Church because he wanted the Church to teach heliocentrism dogmatically when the science of the day didn't support Galileo's hypothesis.

Oh, I see. It was Galileo who was promoting dogmatism and the stifling of free thinking, while the church simply wanted to stick with the scientific evidence of the day. (Sweet fancy Moses, all you had to do is look through the freakin' telescope to discover that geocentrism was way off base. Galileo was forbidden from even discussing heliocentrism, a doctrine that was declared heretical.)

I'm glad you cleared that one up.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

LOL!