hypatia ... a womon of note...

this weekend was the perfect time to hide away from the outside world - the way-too-many tourists and shoppers and all things jingly, bright, loud and constant - the general christmas cacophony in other words...

i'd brought home a selection of movies for my 'hibernation', and the herstorical content drew me to agora… “fourth century a.d. egypt under the roman empire… violent religious upheaval in the streets of alexandria spills over into the city’s famous library. Trapped inside its walls, the brilliant astronomer, Hypatia, and her disciples fight to save the wisdom of the ancient world… among them, the two men competing for her heart: the witty, privileged orestes and davus, hypatia’s young slave, who is torn between his secret love for her and the freedom he knows can be his if he chooses to join the unstoppable surge of the Christians” ... the container blurb...

as with all hollywood 'historical' depictions, a lot has to be taken with a 'modicum of disbelief' – ‘artistic licence’ is employed in their portrayal of people, places and events, which become 'blurred' in their endeavour to make a ‘blockbuster', so some reading inevitably has to follow… and what a treat i was in for in my search for hypatia...

all accounts recognize her as a teacher, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer… 

"Socrates Scholasticus wrote that "she far surpassed all the philosophers of her time,” and was greatly respected for her “extraordinary dignity and virtue.” [Ecclesiastical History] Hypatia's house was an important intellectual center in a city distinguished for its learning. Damasius described how she "used to put on her philosopher's cloak and walk through the middle of town" to give public lectures on philosophy. [Life of Isidore, in the Suda].

 

Admired by all Alexandria, Hypatia was one of the most politically powerful figures in the city. She was one of the few women who attended civic assemblies. Magistrates came to her for advice, including her close friend, the prefect Orestes. [Damasius, Socrates Scholasticus] In the midst of severe religious polarization, Hypatia was an influential force for tolerance and moderation. She accepted students, who came to her "from everywhere," without regard to religion" ... from suppressed histories

according to an article “Hypatia Silenced by Death” by bolder landry, “Even using material from sixteen different sources, I find it difficult to do justice to Hypatia, one of the forgotten heroines of civilization. Her birthplace, Alexandria, was three times the size of Athens and sparkled with marble- lined streets, colleges and a library of some 500,000 volumes containing all the known history of the time. Alexandria had been a gathering place for the best scholars, thinkers, scientists and historians. In the first century B.C. Egypt had become a thriving Roman province, but by the fifth century A.D. Alexandria's last glory was extinguished by the Christian bishops and monks (The Epic of Universal History).” 

and then this by mikelle mercer… "Along with her lectures, Hypatia also wrote several treatises. It is unknown how many she wrote because a lot of them were destroyed through the ages. Evidence does show, however, that she wrote commentaries on "The Conics of Apollonius" and "Amagest," which included Ptolemy's numerous observations of the stars, as well as an analysis of her father's edition of Euclid's "Elements." Most of the writings Hypatia completed were actually meant to be used as text books to help her students with difficult math concepts.

Hypatia's most famous pupil was Synesius of Cyrene, who later became the Bishop of Ptolemy. It is through some of his letter's that he wrote to Hypatia that researchers are able to learn more about her. In his letters Synesius credits Hypatia with creating an astrolabe and a planesphere, which were both devises for studying astronomy, as well as instruments for distilling water, for measuring the level of water, and for determining the specific gravity of liquids.”

so not only mathematician, philosopher, astronomer, but scientist and inventor too… 

but ohh, she was so much more – she was a believer in wisdom and reason... 

"Hypatia herself says, "Fables should be taught as fables, myths as myths, and miracles as poetic fancies. To teach superstitions as truths is a most terrible thing. The child-mind accepts and believes them, and only through great pain and perhaps tragedy can he be in after-years relieved of them. In fact, men will fight for a superstition quite as quickly as for a living truth - often more so, since a superstition is so intangible you can not get at it to refute it, but truth is a point of view, and so is changeable." from hypatia – a victim of bigotry

she was one strong, independent womon…

“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… she was a woman who didn't know her place.” jone johnson lewis

it's not surprising this independent, highly respected, strong, wise womon was branded heretic, heathen, pagan... more from suppressed histories...

"She spoke out against dogmatism and superstition: “To rule by fettering the mind through fear of punishment in another world, is just as base as to use force.” Unquestionably, Hypatia's teaching represented a challenge to church doctrine. The apparent destruction of her philosophical books underlines the point. Her mathematical works survived and were popular into the next century." 

claims of witchcraft? you betchya...

"Realizing that he was losing on public relations, the bishop changed tactics. Now he attempted to turn the people against Hypatia as a powerful woman by accusing her of harmful sorcery. A later church chronicler, John of Nikiu, explained that "she beguiled many people through satanic wiles." It was Hypatia's “witchcraft” that kept the prefect Orestes away from church and made him corrupt the faith of other Christians. Further, she was involved in divination and astrology, "devoted at all times to magic, astrolabes and instruments of music ...

Hypatia was not targeted only as a pagan. Other pagans—men—continued to be active at the university of Alexandria for decades after her death. It is clear that Hypatia's femaleness made her a special target, vulnerable to the accusation of witchcraft. Her courage in opposing the escalating anti-Jewish violence and her moral stance against religious repression were factors as well. In defending the assault on the philosophical tradition of tolerance, Hypatia had everything to lose, yet she acted boldly."
 

hypatia of alexandria from alexandria cosmographica

the womon had to go… it appears hypatia may have been one of, if not the first womon killed as witch by the violent zealots of christianity…this from hypatia, a tragedy of lent ... 

"It was on the morning of the fifteenth of March, 415, — the fatal Ides, the anniversary of the murder of the greatest of the Caesars. Hypatia set out as usual in her chariot to drive to the lecture-room. She had not gone far when the mob stopped the way. On every side were men howling with all the ferocity of hungry wolves. She was forced out of the vehicle and dragged along the ground to the nearest church. This was the ancient Caesar's temple, which had been dedicated anew to the worship of the Christian Trinity. Here she had been denounced by Cyril and her doom determined by his servitors. Her dress was now torn in shreds by their ruffianly violence. She stood by the high altar, beneath the statue of Christ.

"She shook herself free from her tormentors, and, springing back, rose for one moment to her full height, naked, snow-white against the dusky mass around — shame and indignation in those wide, clear eyes, but not a stain of fear. With one hand she clasped her golden locks around her; the other long, white arm was stretched upward toward the great still Christ, appealing — and who dare say in vain? — from man to God. Her lips were open to speak; but the words that should have come from them reached God's ear alone; for in an instant Peter struck her down, the dark mass closed over her again, . . . and then wail on wail, long, wild, ear-piercing, rang along the vaulted roofs, and thrilled like the tram-pet of avenging angels through Philammon's ears."

While yet breathing, the assailants in a mad fury tore her body like tigers, limb from limb; and after that, bringing oyster-shells from the market, they scraped the flesh from the bones. Then gathering up the bleeding remains they ran with them through the streets to the place of burning, and having consumed them, threw the ashes into the sea."

Hypatia, by Charles William Mitchell (1885)

with its depiction of christian misogyny, domination and brutality - all supported by other accounts - what a fitting movie agora turned out to be for this christian celebratory time… a powerful reminder of the subjugation of womyn by all patriarchal religions...