Agricola, Georgius (1494–1555) German metallurgist Agricola's true name was Georg Bauer but, as was the custom of the day, he latinized it (Agricola and Bauer both mean ‘farmer’). Beyond his place of birth – Glauchau (now in Germany) – little is known about him until his entry into the University of Leipzig in 1514. He later pursued his studies of philosophy and medicine in Italy at Bologna, Padua, and Venice (1523–27). In 1527 he was engaged as physician to the Bohemian city of Joachimsthal – the center of a rich mining area – moving in 1534 to another celebrated mining town, Chemnitz, near his birthplace. Here he became ...