Melchiorre or Melchior Zoppio (–1634) was an Italian doctor and scholar.

Life

Born in

Bologna Bologna ( , , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in northern Italy. It is the List of cities in Italy, seventh most populous city in Italy, with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nationalities. Its M ...

, a son of Girolamo Zoppio, Melchiorre Zoppio followed his father's dual career in medicine and education. He taught philosophy in

Macerata Macerata () is a city and ''comune'' in central Italy, the county seat of the province of Macerata in the Marche region. It has a population of about 41,564. History The historical city centre is on a hill between the Chienti and Potenza (ri ...

then Bologna, where in 1588 he was one of the founders of the Accademia dei Gelati. He was one of that society's keenest members, adopting the name Caliginoso within it and leaving it a room for its meetings in his will. Over the fifty years he served as a professor in Bologna Melchiorre acquired such a reputation that his colleagues honoured him with a public inscription during his lifetime. His funeral involved an elaborate procession to the Basilica di Santa Maria dei Servi, where he was buried, and a eulogy by his colleague André Torelli.

Works

Among many treatises on scholastic philosophy and some pamphlets, whose titles can be found in the ''Scrittori bolognesi'' by Orlandi, Melchior also wrote two comedies and four tragedies. The comedies were '' Diogene accusato'' (Venice, 1598, in-12), written in verses of five, seven and nine syllables, and ''Il Giuliano'', whilst the tragedies were '' Admeto'', ''

Medea In Greek mythology, Medea (; ; ) is the daughter of Aeëtes, King Aeëtes of Colchis. Medea is known in most stories as a sorceress, an accomplished "wiktionary:φαρμακεία, pharmakeía" (medicinal magic), and is often depicted as a high- ...

'', '' Creusa'' and '' Meandro'' (all

, 1629, in-12). He also left behind many works in manuscript form, including six large folio volumes on philosophical matters. Ghilini called Melchior a microcosm of sciences and letters and gave him and his father pieces in his ''Teatro d'uomini letterati''. Girolamo Ghilini, , volume 2, p. 156

References

* "Melchiorre Zoppio", in Louis-Gabriel Michaud
''Biographie universelle ancienne et moderne : histoire par ordre alphabétique de la vie publique et privée de tous les hommes avec la collaboration de plus de 300 savants et littérateurs français ou étrangers''
2nd edition, 1843–1865 * {{DEFAULTSORT:Zoppio, Melchior 1540s births 1634 deaths 16th-century Italian physicians 17th-century Italian physicians Italian dramatists and playwrights Scholars from the Papal States Academic staff of the University of Macerata 16th-century Italian philosophers 16th-century Italian male writers 17th-century Italian philosophers Physicians from Bologna