(circa 370 – March 8, 415)
Hypatia of Alexandria was the first great female mathematician in recorded history. In fact, she remained the greatest female for 1500 years: before Emmy Noether surpassed her. As was customary for all Egypt-oriented mathematicians of her era, she practised astronomy, delved into philosophy, and taught in various capacities. Being lone woman in a male-dominated profession then, presented her with insurmountable challenges which contributed to her murder. As a kid, she exhibited high intelligence coupled with unquenchable desire to learn. This prompted her father, Theon of Alexandria (who had already gained fame for editing Euclid’s Elements), to expose her to maths and astronomy. After mastering arithmetic and geometry, Hypatia wrote commentaries on Diophantus’ Arithmetica and Apollonius’ Conicorum. She also taught in various phrontisteries; and to all levels of tutees, (including Synesius of Cyrene—who was later ordained Bishop of Ptolemais). Her moxie earned her recognition, and also enabled her become the scientific prima donna of her generation. But as her fame soared, so did chauvinistic acrimonies from those who could not bear to see a woman occupying such coveted position. In those days as well, female intellectuals seldom published alone. This explains why all of Hypatia’s works were jointly published with her father’s. In spite of the difficulties she endured, her legacies remain impressive, highly influential, and have inspired aspiring female intellectuals for one-and-a-half millennia. The 1.4-kilometer-deep Hypatia lunar crater, the 180-kilometer-long Rimae Hypatia rilles (north of the crater) and the 238 Hypatia main-belt asteroid, are among items dedicated to her.
All rights reserved. © Valentine Oduenyi
Thank you for the wonderful post
Thanks for spreading wonderful info about these great folks. You definitely know what you’re talking about. Happily bookmarked!
Thanks for sharing.
A rare gem she is.
Info-rich!
What a woman!
Her Excellency!
The best lady of the old bloc
Hi everybody!
Hello Admin, it’s good to see Hypatia here
Greatness!
Nice narratives
There is a lot to learn about her. This is a great summary. I like all the points you made.
One of the greatest heroines
Well-composed and well-presented
she was great
She had great ambitions and capabilities.
According the the primary sources, Hypatia was a versatile, inspiring, and brave scholar and teacher. However not very much was recorded of her life and work, she was best known for being brutally killed by a fanatical mob.
A life dedicated to knowledge.
Really enjoyed this site. Awesome.
Unbeatable blogging!