Hypatia of Alexandria
Hypatia of Alexandria was a philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer living in the city of Alexandria from 370 A.D to 415 A.D. She wrote several treatises on conic sections and edited her father's work on Ptolemy.
Hypatia was a pagan who headed the school of Neoplatonist philosophy at Alexandria.[1] Much of her life is shrouded in mystery with sources not always in agreement and sometimes wildly contradictory, especially as regards the causes of her death. A main biographical source about her life is the group of remaining letters written by Syneseus of Cyrene (some of which admiring and some of which sent directly to her), later Bishop of Ptolemais, a devoted student, who, among other educated Christian students, found her presentation of Neoplatonist philosophy compatible with their faiths. Bishop Syneseus fell out as a historical corroborator of Hypatia's life by his death, however, which preceded hers by a few years.[2]
She was blamed for a falling out between Cyric and Orestes in the city and was killed by a mob during a riot.
Her works include:
- A Commentary on the Arithmetica of Diophantus
- A Commentary on the Conics of Apollonious
See also
Sources
- ↑ "Hypatia" (1911). Encyclopedia Britannica, vol. 14, pp. 198-99
- ↑ Tada, Richard (August 11, 2018). "The myth that Christians destroyed the Classical World dies hard" National Review Online website.
- New American Desk Encyclopedia (1989), Penguin Group
