Hypatia Research Paper

Described as beautiful and well proportioned, Hypatia was a woman able to make a profound difference in the mathematics and science of the present day. Today many scholars believe that Hypatia may be the most notable and prominent women in mathematics until Marie Curie. The exact birth year of Hypatia is highly debated, but the most common theory is that she was born in 370 A.D. Though there is no solid information about Hypatia's mother, historians and scientists have learned much of her father Theon. He was a professor at the university of Alexandria. According to legend, Theon desired to make Hypatia into the "perfect" human being. Whether that is true or not, he versed his daughter well in all areas of study. These studies included: the arts, literature, science, and philosophy. In addition to her meticulous schooling, Hypatia was also put through a rigorous physical training such as rowing, swimming, and horseback riding. Hypatia continued to learn speech, enhancing her ability to explain her knowledge to others. Some believe that Hypatia surpassed her father's knowledge at a young age; this may have been a key factor in her decision to travel to study in Athens. At this …show more content…
She was caught in a time of religious struggle in Alexandria, and her beliefs and curiosity led her to her death. In 412 A.D., Cyril became the Patriarch of Egypt. Paired with the flood of Christianity into Egypt, arguments with the religious hierarchy became treason. Hypatia's faith and knowledge made her a heretic to the Egyptian government. Unsurprising, unrest grew amongst the Christians, Jews, and Pagans; Cyril saw this as the perfect opportunity and blamed the religious unrest on Hypatia. During March of 415 A.D., a religious mob caught Hypatia on her way to the university that she loved. They yanked her from her chariot, stripped her, and dragged her to the church where they butchered her body and burned the