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The Lincean Academy (Accademia Nazionale dei Lincei), located at the Palazzo Corsini on the Via della Lungara in Rome, Italy, is the oldest Italian academy. It was founded in 1603 by Federico Cesi to be a locus for what was then the ongoing scientific revolution. It it is named after the lynx, whose sharp vision was invoked symobolically as characteristic of those dedicated to science.
Over time, the academy has undergone various changes. There was an initial period of great prestige owing to the work of Cesi and the presence of associates such as Galileo Galilei and Giambattista Della Porta . However, after the death of Cesi in 1630, its activity slowly wound down, and ultimately ceased. In the 18th century the abbot Scarpellini attempted to revive an academy of "New Lincei", but it underwent a true revival only in 1847, when Pope Pius IX re-founded it as the Pontificia accademia dei Nuovi Lincei, the Pontifical Academy of New Lincei. It was again re-christened in 1874, when Quintino Sella turned it into the Accademia Nazionale Reale dei Lincei, the Royal National Lincean Academy. This incarnation broadened its scope to include moral and humanistic sciences, and regained the high prestige associated with the original Lincean Academy.
In the fascist period, it was incorporated into the new Accademia d'Italia, the Italian Academy . After the fall of the fascist regime, when the Accademia d'Italia was suppressed, at the suggestion of Benedetto Croce the Lincean Academy recovered its independence.
In 1986, the Academy was placed under a statute that says it shall be composed of 540 members, of whom 180 are ordinary Italian members, 180 are foreigners, and 180 are Italian corresponding members.
The members are divided into two classes: one for mathematical, physical, and natural sciences; the other for moral, historical, and philological sciences.
In 2001, the natural sciences were re-divided into five categories: mathematics, mechanics and applications; astronomy, geodesy, geophysics and applications; physics, chemistry and applications; geology, paleontology, mineralogy and applications; and biological sciences and applications. At the same time, the moral sciences were divided into seven categories: philology and linguistics; archeology; criticism of art and of poetry; history, historical geography , and anthropology; philosophical science; juridical science; social and political science.
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References
- This article was translated from the corresponding article in the Italian wikipedia, retrieved 09:12, Feb 2, 2005 (UTC)
Last updated: 08-17-2005 07:45:09
