Hypatia
Hypatia, the Greek scholar killed for her beliefs…🪐
Hypatia of Alexandria was born around 350 AD to the mathematician and philosopher Theon who encouraged her education from an early age. Beside mathematics, she was particularly taken by astronomy and even built astrolabes, tools for examining and measuring celestial bodies in the night sky
She also established herself as a member of the Neoplatonic school of philosophy in Alexandria where she taught philosophy and astronomy to students from all over the Mediterranean
Hypatia was described as “being prepossessing, strikingly beautiful with an almost regal air about her, in speech articulate and logical, in her actions prudent and public-spirited and the city gave her suitable welcome and accorded her special respect”
Hypatia practiced paganism at a time when Christianity was in its infancy but as the religion began to grow, many pagans converted to Christianity out of fear of persecution. Hypatia did not and made no effort to conceal it which made her a target among power-lusting Christian circles
One of Alexandria’s most notable bishops, Cyril, who had not succeeded at directly attacking the government decided to eliminate one of its most powerful assets instead: in 415 AD, the bishop ordered a mob of monks to kidnap Hypatia who stripped her naked and murdered her using shards to scrape the flesh off her body, cut out her eyeballs, tore her body into pieces and dragged her limbs through the town and set them on fire…
Unfortunately for Cyril, by killing Hypatia he immortalized her and in death, she is as she was in life: unwilling to be silenced, ever-tenacious in her curiosity and wonder 💕
Rachel Weisz incarnated Hypatia in the 2009 movie Agora
