Giambattista della Porta was born at Vico Equense, near Naples, to the nobleman Nardo Antonio della Porta. He was the third of four sons and … See more

A Catholic, della Porta was examined by the Inquisition in the years prior to 1578. He was forced to disband his Academia Secretorum Naturae, and in 1592 his philosophical works were prohibited from further publication by the Church; the ban was lifted in 1598. … See more

• Natural Magic (1558) expanded to 20 books in 1589. English translation 1658. Available online at
• De furtivis Literarum Notis (1563) On secret codes and cryptography
• Villa (1583–92) Agricultural encyclopedia See more

In 1563, della Porta published De Furtivis Literarum Notis, a work about cryptography. In it, he described the first known digraphic substitution cipher. Charles J. Mendelsohn See more

Della Porta was the founder of a scientific society called the Academia Secretorum Naturae (Accademia dei Segreti). This group was more commonly known as the Otiosi, (Men of Leisure). Founded sometime before 1580, the Otiosi were one of the first … See more

His interest in a variety of disciplines resulted in the technological advances of the following: agriculture, hydraulics, Military Engineering See more

The 17 theatrical works that have survived from a total of perhaps 21 or 23 works comprise 14 comedies, one tragicomedy, one tragedy and one liturgical drama.
Comedies See more