From Jone Johnson Lewis,
Your Guide to Women's History.
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Hypatia was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria who was a teacher of mathematics with the Museum of Alexandria in Egypt. A center of Greek intellectual and cultural life, the Museum included many independent schools and the great library of Alexandria.

Hypatia studied with her father, and with many others including Plutarch the Younger. She herself taught at the Neoplatonist school of philosophy. She became the salaried director of this school in 400. She probably wrote on mathematics, astronomy and philosophy, including about the motions of the planets, about number theory and about conic sections.

Hypatia corresponded with and hosted scholars from others cities. Synesius, Bishop of Ptolemais, was one of her correspondents and he visited her frequently. Hypatia was a popular lecturer, drawing students from many parts of the empire.

From the little historical information about Hypatia that survives, it appears that she invented the plane astrolabe, the graduated brass hydrometer and the hydroscope, with Synesius of Greece, who was her student and later colleague.

Hypatia dressed in the clothing of a scholar or teacher, rather than in women's clothing. She moved about freely, driving her own chariot, contrary to the norm for women's public behavior. She exerted considerable political influence in the city.

Orestes, the governor of Alexandria, like Hypatia, was a pagan (non-Christian). Orestes was an adversary of the new Christian bishop, Cyril, a future saint. Orestes, according to the contemporary accounts, objected to Cyril expelling the Jews from the city, and was murdered by Christian monks for his opposition.

Cyril probably objected to Hypatia on a number of counts: She represented heretical teachings, including experimental science and pagan religion. She was an associate of Orestes. And she was a woman who didn't know her place. Cyril's preaching against Hypatia is said to have been what incited a mob led by fanatical Christian monks in 415 to attack Hypatia as she drove her chariot through Alexandria. They dragged her from her chariot and, according to accounts from that time, stripped her, killed her, stripped her flesh from her bones, scattered her body parts through the streets, and burned some remaining parts of her body in the library of Caesareum.

Hypatia's students fled to Athens, where the study of mathematics flourished after that. The Neoplatonic school she headed continued in Alexandria until the Arabs invaded in 642.

When the library of Alexandria was burned by the Arab conquerors, used as fuel for baths, the works of Hypatia were destroyed. We know her writings today through the works of others who quoted her -- even if unfavorably -- and a few letters written to her by contemporaries.

More About Hypatia

• Hypatia of Alexandra
  More resources on this site, on About.com, and elsewhere on the Net.
• Hypatia of Alexandria
  From About Guide to Ancient History, N.S. Gill: Hypatia "was, simply, the last great Alexandrian mathematician and philosopher."
• Hypatia of Alexandria
  A brief biography from the University of Utah, with links to more internet resources.
• Hypatia of Alexandria
  Basic information, plus three documents (also listed below) from the ancient world telling of her life and death.
• Hypatia: Mathematician, Astronomer and Philosopher
  A brief introduction to this martyred scientist and philosopher of the 5th century, including translated biographies of Hypatia from ancient sources.
• Hypatia
  Elbert Hubbard's 1928 essay on Hypatia, part of his "Great Teachers" volume of Little Journeys to the Homes of the Great.
• Hypatia of Alexandria
  Transcript of radio program with Dr. Michael Deakin. Part of a series on science.
• Life of Hypatia from The Suda
  One of the primary sources for details about Hypatia.
• The Life of Hypatia by Socrates Scholasticus
  Another primary source about Hypatia and her death.
• The Life of Hypatia by John, Bishop of Nikiu
  A classical Christian writer defends her murder.
• Martyrdom of Hypatia
  An early 20th century lecture on the murder of Hypatia by Christians. A bit overwrought, but a good illustration of the use of history to illustrate a present point (in this case, a critique of the Church).
• Decline of Library of Alexandria
  An essay, 1991, by Ellen Brundige on the origin, history and final fall of the "Hall of the Muses" and the great library of Alexandria. (Note: links in table of contents were not working when I checked. Just scroll through the article.)

Suggested Reading

• Top 10 Early Female Mathematicians
• Women and Mathematics - Women Mathematicians
• Women in Ancient Greece
• Women in Philosophy
• Women in Astronomy
• Women in Air, Space, Science, and Mathematics

More biographies of notable women, by name:

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