Leonardo da Vinci (1452–1519) and the Birth of Stratigraphy

Most geological handbooks attribute the birth of stratigraphy to William Smith in the 19th century, after a brief mention of the pioneering contribution of Niels Stensen (Nicholaus Stenonis) who, almost a century before, had introduced in his Dissertationis prodromus of 1669 the principles of geometric relationships between strata. On the contrary, Leonardo da Vinci is related, among other scientists, to the intuition that fossils are remains of living organisms. Da Vinci was indeed much more than that. All concepts commonly associated with stratigraphy, e. g., fossils as age-diagnostic tools, geometric properties and position of strata, correlations of stratigraphic successions, are deeply-rooted in Leonardo’s writings and fully expressed in his paintings, integrated in mature observations and reproduction of the landscape. The celebration of the five-hundredth anniversary of Leonardo’s death gives us the opportunity to finally link Leonardo da Vinci to the birth of modern stratigraphy.