Hypatia: The Life and Legend of an Ancient PhilosopherA philosopher, mathematician, and martyr, Hypatia is one of antiquity's best known female intellectuals. During the sixteen centuries following her murder, by a mob of Christians, Hypatia has been remembered in books, poems, plays, paintings, and films as a victim of religious intolerance whose death symbolized the end of the Classical world. But Hypatia was a person before she was a symbol. Her great skill in mathematics and philosophy redefined the intellectual life of her home city of Alexandria. Her talent as a teacher enabled her to assemble a circle of dedicated male students. Her devotion to public service made her a force for peace and good government in a city that struggled to maintain trust and cooperation between pagans and Christians. Despite these successes, Hypatia fought countless small battles to live the public and intellectual life that she wanted. This book rediscovers the life Hypatia led, the unique challenges she faced as a woman who succeeded spectacularly in a man's world, and the tragic story of the events that led to her tragic murder. |
Contents
A Lenten Murder | 1 |
1 Alexandria | 7 |
2 Childhood and Education | 21 |
3 The School of Hypatia | 37 |
4 Middle Age | 51 |
5 A Philosophical Mother and Her Children | 63 |
6 The Public Intellectual | 79 |
7 Hypatias Sisters | 93 |
8 Murder in the Street | 107 |
9 The Memory of Hypatia | 121 |
10 A Modern Symbol | 135 |
Reconsidering a Legend | 149 |
Notes | 157 |
| 191 | |
| 201 | |
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Alexandria in Late Ammonius ancient Asclepigenia Athenian Athens bishop career Chaldean Chaldean Oracles Chapter Christian church City and School city’s Constantinople contemporaries Credit line Cribiore Cyril Damascius Damascius’s describes discussion divine Dzielska early Egyptian elite emperor empire Eunapius female philosopher fifth century fourth century Greek Haas Herculian Horapollon Hymn Hypatia Hypatia’s death Hypatia’s murder Hypatia’s school Iamblichan Iamblichus ideas imperial intellectual Isid Isidore John of Nikiu John’s Julian Kingsley’s Late Antiquity later Roman letter Libanius literary lived male Marinus mathematicians mathematics Maximus Maximus’s monks Museum Novatians offered Olympus Orestes pagan Pandrosion Pappus Pappus of Alexandria philosophical Philostorgius Platonic Platonists Plotinus Plutarch political Porphyry prefect Proclus public role Pythagorean religious rhetoric Roman world seems Serapeum Serapis Socrates Scholasticus Socrates’s sort Sosipatra soul story Suda suggests Synesius Synesius’s Syrianus taught teacher teaching temple Themistius Theon Theophilus theurgy Toland traditional violence virtues Watts women