Hypatia of Alexandria Daughter of Theon

¶ … Hypatia of Alexandria, daughter of Theon. Specifically, it will examine the life of Hypatia, especially her mathematical accomplishments. Hypatia was the first female mathematician that left a record that historians can trace. She was a philosopher, mathematician, and teacher who lived in Alexandria, Egypt from about 350 to 415 A.D. She was the daughter of Theon, a renowned mathematician and head of the library in Alexandria.

Historians do not agree on the year Hypatia was born. Some estimate it at around 355, while others place it as late as 370. What is known of Hypatia is that she was extremely influential in mathematics and philosophical thought. Hypatia was born in Alexandria and most historians believe she spent her entire life there. Some historians believe Hypatia studied mathematics in Athens, and then traveled through Europe (Coffin, 1998, p. 94), while others believe her father taught her most of what she knew about mathematics and science. Her father, Theon was a mathematician and scholar, and he is the last known head of the Alexandria "Museum" (what we would now call a university). At the time, most women were subservient to men and they were not educated, but Theon was sure he could raise the "perfect" child, and when he had a daughter, he did not change his plans. He taught his daughter as if she was a boy, and finally, she surpassed her father in her knowledge and skill of mathematics and science. Historian Lynn M. Osen writes, "Alexandria was the greatest seat of learning in the world, a cosmopolitan center where scholars from all the civilized countries gathered to exchange ideas. As Theon's daughter, Hypatia was a part of this stimulating and challenging environment" (Osen, 1974, p. 23). In fact, when she grew older, she co-wrote several books with her father during her life.

There were female mathematicians recorded before Hypatia, but as her premier biographer Dr. Michael Deakin notes, she was "the first of whom we have reasonably detailed and reliable information. She was also the most eminent female mathematician of ancient times - until the 18th century quite unmatched, and still the only woman of whom it can be claimed that she was absolutely pre-eminent in the mathematical world of her day" (Deakin, 1997). This is one reason she was so notable as a mathematician. At a time when little is known even of her own mother, women were simply not expected to be educated and educators. Another historian states, "Hypatia was brought up with the expectation that she could do and achieve anything she wanted -- which was very unusual for women, especially in the fourth century" (Coffin, 1998, p. 94). Because of this, she was a strong and often outspoken woman, which set her apart from others. She not only understood the nuances of science and math, she was an excellent teacher who could pass this information along to her students.

Perhaps Hypatia's most important contribution to mathematics was in her book Astronomical Canon of Diophantus and Conics of Apollonius. Historian Coffin writes, "In this book Hypatia showed a cone being divided by planes in various positions. The points of intersection of the cuts of the plane through the cone formed the idea of conic sections. These cuts became known as hyperbolas, parabolas, and ellipses" (Coffin, 1998, p. 95). Later, it would be proved that the paths comets take in the galaxy around the sun is an ellipsis, so she contributed not only to geometry but also to astronomy and to many other sciences. In addition, her book "dealt with first-degree and quadratic equations; the commentaries by Hypatia include some alternative solutions and a number of new problems that she originated. Some scholars consider these to have been in Diophantus' original text, but Heath attributes them to Hypatia" (Osen, 1974, p. 27). Thus, she contributed greatly to algebra and geometry, along with many other facets of math and science.

Never married, Hypatia taught at the "Museum," along with her father. She taught algebra, geometry, and philosophy, and she was well-known as an excellent teacher of all three subjects. She also wrote "commentaries" on algebra and geometry, which were discussions of these types of mathematics that were written so most people could understand them. Historian Coffin continues, "She wanted to help her students understand the mathematics she was teaching, so she wrote books that gave explanations that were easier to understand than the original books" (Coffin, 1998, p. 95). She taught many well-known young men of the time, both Christians and pagans, and most found her an excellent teacher, scientist, and philosopher. She had many friends and supporters in Alexandria, but she also had many detractors.

It is important to note that at the time, it was not especially prestigious or even socially wise to be a mathematician. At the time, astrology and mathematics were closely linked, there were many astrologists and numerologists who were considered mathematicians too, and so, the profession came to be seen in a bad light. Hypatia, "The bad currency drove out the good. Reputable astronomers and geometers like Theon and Hypatia got confused in the popular and in the ecclesiastical mind with these fly-by-nights. All were lumped together as 'mathematicians'" (Deakin, 1997). This was a dangerous position at the time, because Christianity was becoming the dominant religion in Egypt and beyond, and many Christians distrusted science and education. Coffin states, "The Romans did not appreciate Greek mathematics and in fact thought it was subversive. The Romans had not been greatly involved in the development of mathematics; hence their mathematicians did not compare favorably to the Greeks" (Coffin, 1998, p. 96). Thus, as Christianity spread throughout the area, Hypatia found herself in a dangerous situation. Many pagans left the city to save themselves, but Hypatia did not.

In addition to her notoriety as a female scholar and philosopher, Hypatia made no secret of the fact she was a pagan who did not believe in Christianity, and this further alienated her from the Christian majority. She made a strong political and religious enemy when she angered Cyril, the Roman Catholic bishop and leader of Alexandria. Cyril was adamantly against pagans and Jews, and issued many sanctions against them during his forty-year reign. Cyril considered Hypatia an enemy, and where there are not actual texts tying him to her death, most historians regard Cyril as the force behind the mob that eventually attacked and killed Hypatia. Some say Cyril made it known there would be a reward for those who killed the woman.