A Privileged Upbringing in the City of Knowledge
Hypatia was born around 350 CE, the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, a mathematician and astronomer who was the last member of the Museum of Alexandria. The Museum of Alexandria was not a museum in the modern sense, but rather a temple dedicated to the Muses, the goddesses of arts and sciences, where scholars and researchers gathered to study and exchange ideas. The Museum of Alexandria was also connected to the Library of Alexandria, the largest and most prestigious library in the world, containing hundreds of thousands of scrolls and books on various subjects, such as literature, history, science, and philosophy.
Theon of Alexandria was a prominent scholar and teacher, who wrote commentaries on important mathematical works, such as Euclid’s Elements and Ptolemy’s Almagest. He also taught his daughter everything he knew, and encouraged her to pursue her own interests and talents. Hypatia was a prodigy, who showed exceptional abilities in mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy from an early age.
Hypatia also studied with other prominent scholars in Alexandria and Athens, the two main centers of learning in the ancient world. She learned from the best minds of her time, such as Plutarch of Athens, the head of the Platonic Academy, and Synesius of Cyrene, a philosopher and bishop who later became one of her most devoted students and admirers. She also traveled to other places, such as Rome and Antioch, where she met and impressed other influential figures, such as the emperor Theodosius II and the philosopher Iamblichus.
Becoming a Leader in the Neoplatonic School
Hypatia eventually returned to Alexandria, where she became the head of the Neoplatonic school, a branch of philosophy that was based on the teachings of Plato and Plotinus. She taught both pagan and Christian students, who came from different backgrounds and walks of life, such as nobles, officials, soldiers, and monks. She taught them mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy, using a variety of methods, such as lectures, dialogues, demonstrations, and experiments. She also taught them ethics and morals, using examples from her own life and from the lives of the ancient sages. She was respected for her wisdom, eloquence, and virtue, and she was known as “the philosopher” by her contemporaries.
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| Hypatia Teaching Alexandria Robert-Trewick |
Hypatia also had a close relationship with Orestes, the Roman prefect of Alexandria, who was the highest civil authority in the city. Orestes was a Christian, but he was also a man of culture and learning, who admired Hypatia’s intellect and character. He often consulted her on political and social matters, and he valued her advice and opinions. He also defended her from the attacks and accusations of her enemies, who saw her as a rival and a threat.
Hypatia’s Work
Hypatia’s life was a life of learning and teaching, a life of passion and reason, a life of excellence and virtue. She was a woman who broke the barriers and stereotypes of her gender and religion, and who achieved the highest levels of knowledge and wisdom. She was a woman who inspired and influenced many people, and who left a lasting mark on the history of science and philosophy.
Hypatia was not only a teacher, but also a writer and an inventor. She wrote commentaries on important mathematical and astronomical works, such as Euclid’s Elements, Diophantus’s Arithmetica, and Ptolemy’s Almagest. She also edited and improved some of these works, such as Book III of the Almagest, which deals with the motion of the planets. She added her own insights and corrections, and made the works more accessible and understandable for her students and readers.
Hypatia also invented or refined several scientific instruments, such as the astrolabe, the hydrometer, and the hydroscope. The astrolabe was a device that could measure the position of the stars and the sun, and could be used for navigation, timekeeping, and astrology. The hydrometer was a device that could measure the density of liquids, and could be used for testing the purity and quality of water, wine, and oil. The hydroscope was a device that could measure the level of water, and could be used for monitoring the tides, the floods, and the irrigation systems.
Hypatia used these instruments to conduct experiments and observations, and to verify and expand her knowledge of the natural world. She also taught her students how to use and make these instruments, and how to apply them to practical and theoretical problems. She was a pioneer of experimental science, who combined empirical and rational methods to discover and explain the laws of nature.
Hypatia also followed the Neoplatonic philosophy, which was based on the teachings of Plato and Plotinus. She believed that the ultimate reality was the One, which was the source and the goal of all existence, and which could be approached through the human power of abstraction from the material world. She also believed that the human soul was a divine spark that could ascend to the One, by following the path of the virtues, such as justice, courage, and wisdom. She also believed that the material world was a reflection of the higher and more perfect world of the forms, which were the ideal and eternal patterns of all things.
Hypatia taught her students how to apply the Neoplatonic philosophy to their lives and their studies, and how to harmonize their minds and their hearts, their reason and their faith, their science and their religion. She also taught them how to respect and appreciate the diversity and the beauty of the world, and how to seek the truth and the good in everything. She was a philosopher who lived according to her principles, and who inspired others to do the same.
A Changing World and Rising Tensions
Hypatia’s time was also a time of political and religious turmoil, as different factions of Christians, Jews, and pagans clashed over power and beliefs. Christianity was the official religion of the empire, but it was divided into several sects, such as the Orthodox, the Arians, the Nestorians, and the Monophysites, each claiming to have the true interpretation of the faith. Judaism was the oldest monotheistic religion in the region, but it was often persecuted and discriminated by the Christians. Paganism was the traditional polytheistic religion of the Greeks and the Romans, but it was gradually losing its followers and influence to Christianity. Alexandria was a melting pot of these diverse and conflicting religions, and it often witnessed violent riots and massacres among them.
A Tragic End
Hypatia’s death was one of the most tragic and brutal events in the history of science and philosophy. She was killed in March 415 CE by a mob of Christian fanatics, led by a lector named Peter. They attacked her on the streets of Alexandria, dragged her to a church, stripped her naked, and beat her to death with tiles. They then tore her body apart and burned it.
Hypatia was accused of being a pagan, a heretic, and a witch, and of preventing Orestes, the Roman prefect of Alexandria, from reconciling with Cyril, the bishop of Alexandria. Cyril and Orestes were in a political feud over the rights and privileges of the Jews and the Christians in the city. Hypatia was seen as a threat and a scapegoat by Cyril and his followers, who blamed her for the unrest and the violence in the city. They also resented her influence and popularity among the people, especially among the educated and the powerful.
An Enduring Mark on History
Hypatia’s death was not only a personal tragedy, but also a cultural and intellectual tragedy. It marked the end of an era of classical culture and learning, and the beginning of an era of religious intolerance and ignorance. It also marked the loss of many of her writings and inventions, which were either destroyed or lost in the chaos and the turmoil. Only a few of her works survived, mostly in fragments and quotations, and they testify to her genius and her legacy.
Hypatia was mourned by her students and admirers, and her death shocked the empire and the world. She became a symbol of the decline of classical culture and the rise of religious intolerance. She was also revered as a martyr for philosophy and a pioneer for women’s rights. Her life and work have inspired generations of thinkers, artists, and activists, who have honored her legacy and promoted her values.
One of her most devoted students and admirers was Synesius of Cyrene, a philosopher and bishop, who wrote several letters and poems to and about her. He praised her as “the most holy and revered philosopher”, “the blessed lady”, and “the mother of philosophy”. He also described her as “a living library and a walking museum”, “a teacher of all the virtues”, and “a light of the world”. He also expressed his grief and his anger over her death, and he called her murderers “the wild beasts of Alexandria”.
Another admirer of Hypatia was John of Nikiu, a Coptic bishop and historian, who wrote a chronicle of the history of Egypt and the world. He was one of the few Christian writers who spoke favorably of Hypatia, and he acknowledged her as “a woman of great beauty and wisdom”. He also criticized Cyril and his followers for their role in her death, and he said that “they acted in accordance with their own wickedness”.