Geeks in History: Hypatia
It’s time to use our imaginary time machines and head farther back to when the years were in triple digits, specifically to the late 4th century CE. Math geeks, perk up, because we’ll be discussing another famous female mathmetician, Hypatia of Alexandria. She is one of the first notable women in this field and also in those of philosophy and astronomy. Keep reading to learn more about her life and the tragic way she died.
Hypatia was born between 350 CE and 370 CE in Roman-occupied Alexandria, Egypt. Her father, Theon, was her teacher and the last known mathmetician associated with the Musuem of Alexandria. She followed the Neoplatonist school of thought, becoming a teacher herself, and eventually she became a salaried director. Her writing included those about the motions of the planets and about number theory and about conic sections. Though little information survived about her, she’s credited with inventing the planet astrolabe, the graduated brass hydrometer and the hydroscope.
What is known is that she was Pagan and wore the clothes of a scholar, driving her own chariot and conducting herself with dignity wherever she went. A contemporary of hers described her as self-possessed and intelligent. She assessed that she remained a virgin and turned away a suitor by showing him her menstrual rags to show him there was “nothing beautiful” about carnal desires. She attracted students from all over due to her virtuous and dignified manner. She cultivated important relationships with other scholars of her time as well as the Imperial Prefect Orestes, a rival of the Christian bishop Cyril. The Prefect objected to Cyril’s expulsion of the Jews from Alexandria, and the public blamed Hypatia for the lack of reconciliation.
Hypatia was murdered in March 415 by a Christian mob, presumably Nitrian monks, who pulled her from her chariot, and according to the account of her contemporary, Socrates Scholasticus, took her to the Caesareum, recently turned into a church. It was there that “they completely stripped her, and then murdered her by scraping her skin off with tiles and bits of shell” and ripped her body apart before burning it at Cinaron. It was after her death that a pagan scholar named Damascius wished to exploit Hypatia’s death to lay blame directly on Cryril. What the historical accounts can all agree upon is that she was the victim of mob “justice” and religious zealotry.
Hypatia’s tragic end was used to fuel anti-Catholic sentiment in the 18th century by John Toland, and others before him used her as an example of witchcraft during the Witch Hunts. In modern times, however, she has become a symbol of feminism, leaving behind a legacy of strength, intelligence, and dignity. She’s inspired science fiction novels, plays, computer science, and even provoked a speculative theory of her death by astronomer Carl Sagan. Today, 238 Hypatia, a main belt asteroid, is named for her as well as the Adobe typeface Hypatia Sans Pro. The movie Agora, directed by Alejandro Amenábar and starring Rachel Weisz, tells the story of her later years. Her legacy continues even into the future.
Geeks in History is a biweekly column about notable geeks of the past and how they impacted modern life.
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Kevin B.
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