Johannes Trithemius

Johannes Trithemius (1 February 1462 - 13 December 1516) was born Johann Heidenberg. The name by which he is more commonly known is derived from his native town of Trittenheim on the Moselle in Germany.

Steganographia

His most famous work is Steganographia (written c.1499; published Frankfurt, 1606, placed on the Index Librorum Prohibitorum in 1609). This book is in three volumes, and appears to be about black magic - specifically, about using spirits to communicate over long distances. Since the publication of the decryption key to the first two volumes in 1606, they have been known to be actually concerned with cryptography and steganography. Until recently, the third volume was widely still believed to be about magic - but recently the "magical" formulae were shown to be covertexts for yet more cryptography content. The work has lent its name to the modern field of steganography.

Related Topics:
Steganographia - 1499 - Frankfurt - 1606 - Index Librorum Prohibitorum - 1609 - Black magic - Spirit - Key - Cryptography - Steganography - Covertext

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