Gabriel Soares de Sousa

Gabriel Soares de Sousa (* around 1540 in Ribatejo , Portugal , † around 1592 in Sertão , Brazil ) was a Portuguese writer , researcher , navigator , trader and colonist who wrote the first comprehensive book on fauna , flora and fauna with his work Notícia do Brasil Wrote the ethnology of the people in Brazil, which is still a source today.

Life

De Sousa was born around 1540 in Ribatejo, a province in Portugal. He was a member of Francisco Barreto's sea expedition , with which he landed in Bahia (today Salvador de Bahia) in Brazil around 1569 . He returned to Portugal around 1584 and then left for Brazil. He was also nominated for the office of Governor General of Brazil, which he did not receive. Around 1592 he died of a fever in the expanses of the Sertao in Brazil as a member of an expedition.

plant

His work was the scientific book “ Notícia do Brasil ” written in 1587 , which was first published in full by Francisco Adolfo de Varnhagen in 1851 under the title “Tratado Descritivo do Brasil em 1587” based on the various manuscript templates . Another edition, commented on by Varnhagen, appeared in 1879.

The book is divided into 112 chapters and describes Brazil for the first time in all scientific areas: It contains descriptions of a geographical, botanical, ethnological and linguistic nature. There are also descriptions of the clothing of the indigenous people, their agriculture, and the animals and plants found in Brazil. He also devoted himself to Brazilian mineralogy.

expenditure

Tratado Descritivo do Brasil em 1587. Laemmert, Rio de Janeiro 1851. ( Internet Archive ).
Tratado Descritivo do Brasil in 1587. Fernanda Trindade Luciani, organização. Hedra, São Paulo 2010, ISBN 978-85-7715-115-8 .

Individual evidence

↑ Full title: Noticia do Brazil e descripção verdadeira da costa da quelle estado que he pertencente a Coroa do Reino de Portugal. Sitio da Bahia de todos os Santos, e fertilidade da quella provincia, com relação de todas as arvores, animaes, peixes, bichos, plantas e costumes dos gentios muito certa, e curioza.

personal data
SURNAME	Sousa, Gabriel Soares de
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Portuguese explorer, navigator, trader and colonist
DATE OF BIRTH	around 1540
PLACE OF BIRTH	Ribatejo , Portugal
DATE OF DEATH	around 1592
Place of death	Sertão , Brazil

[1] Full title: Noticia do Brazil e descripção verdadeira da costa da quelle estado que he pertencente a Coroa do Reino de Portugal. Sitio da Bahia de todos os Santos, e fertilidade da quella provincia, com relação de todas as arvores, animaes, peixes, bichos, plantas e costumes dos gentios muito certa, e curioza.