Hypatia Research Paper

Hypatia is the first female mathematician whose life was well recorded. She was a Hellenistic Neoplatonist philosopher, astronomer, and mathematician. Hypatia was born about 350 to 370 AD in Alexandria, Egypt. She was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria who was a mathematician and philosopher. Her father guided and instructed her in mathematics, philosophy, and astronomy. He trained her in the art of rhetoric, made her read classical literature and made her exercise which included he running, hiking horseback riding, rowing and swimming. He had wanted her to be the perfect human being. He sent her to Italy and Athens to further her studies. In Athens she studied with her sister Asclepigenia at Plutarch of Athens. Hypatia returned back to Alexandria and taught and wrote commentaries about …show more content…
Hypatia was a mathematics and philosophy lecturer at the Neoplatonist school in Alexandria. In around 400 AD she became the head of the Neoplatonist School. Hypatia was a Neoplatonist and she rejected the teachings of Iamblichus, she based her teaching on the original Neoplatonism created by Plotinus. Hypatia educated students from all over the Mediterranean. She would even give public lectures around Alexandria about philosophy. Hypatia dedicated herself to teaching and learning, she never married and remained celibate. Hypatia was killed in 415 CE on the streets of Alexandria by a Christian mob. Her death was a result of a feud between Orestes, the Governor or Alexandria, and Cyril, the Bishop of Alexandria. This dispute resulted in the killing of many Christians and the removal of Jews from the city. The Christians in return decided to seek revenge on Orestes and pursued Hypatia who was a known adviser of Orestes. Hypatia was blamed by Cyril, the Christian Archbishop of Alexandria, for keeping Orestes from accepting the 'true