1 / 17

Hypatia

Hypatia. By Bennett Williams. Hypatia c.350 -c.370~415 AD

ossie
Download Presentation

Hypatia

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. Hypatia By Bennett Williams

  2. Hypatia c.350-c.370~415 AD • Hypatia was a mathemetician, astronomer, philosopher, and teacher who lived in Alexandria in Ancient Egypt during the final days of the great library of Alexandria. She was renowned for her superior teaching skills, as well as her beauty. Students from all over the ancient world came to Alexandria to learn from Hypatia. • Hypatia was probably the greatest female mathematician and educator in the ancient world. Much of what we know of arithmetic, is because of Hypatia. She was the one who contributed to, as well as published, the mathematical arithmetic that survived from the ancient world. Faces from Ancient Egypt (1995) by EuphrosyneDoxiadis

  3. Hypatia was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, who was a very prominent mathemetician. He taught mathematics to Hypatia, who later grew to suprass him in knowledge. • Theon was the director of the Alexandria Library, which at the time was under control of the roman empire led by Theodosius I. Hypatia succeeded Theon as director of the library. • Hypatia became head of the Platonist school at Alexandria, teaching Neo-Platonic philosophy. • Toward the end of the time of library at Alexandria, Theodosius I issued laws that made Christianity the official state religion of the Roman Empire. • Hypatia became a center of controversy as science and learning became associated with paganism in the Christian Church. Portrait of a Greek woman, probably from er-Rubayat, c. 160-170 AD British Museum, London

  4. Above: Raphael "The school of Athens" , Fresco, Stanze di Raffaello, Apostolic Palace, the Vatican, Rome. 1508. Right: Enlarged view of Hypatia from the Fresco above. There is debate on whether or not this really was Hypatia in the fresco. Some argue that it is, and Raphael was cautioned to remove her from the painting because she offended the chruch, so Raphael disguised her and moved her to a more conspicuous location. Others argue that there is no evidence to support this, and the figure is Francesco Maria Della Rovere, who was Duke of Urbino, Italy, and the nephew of the Pope. The case remains that Raphael intended for this confusion to exist so that Hypatia could be honored in his painting, while at the same time duping the Church to believe that the figure is not her.

  5. The Great Library of Alexandria

  6. The Great Library of Alexandria was the center of knowledge, learning, and creativity in the ancient world. What we know today of the great works of ancient scholars such as Euclid, Pythagoras, Eratosthenes, Galen, Hipparcos, Sophocles, Archimedes, Aristarchus of Samos, et al., (just to name a few) were all housed at the Library of Alexandria. The library was the very first and the greatest research institute the world had known, with a collection of over 1 million scrolls from classical civilization. The government sought out books from everywhere, and accumulated as much knowledge and information as possible in the library. Alexandria’s power as an economic cornerstone to the ancient world grew from its development as an intellectual center. Nowhere else has there been such a prime example of economic development coupled with learning and discovery.

  7. More than the physical magnitude of the great library, was what it represented at the time. The Great Library of Alexandria represented the height of classical knowledge and thought. It represented the wonder of the level of discovery that the human race could accomplish in an environment truly dedicated to learning, uninhibited by the confines of religion and demagoguery . Economically, Alexandria was the center of trade between the east and the west. Due to its location and its value as an economic centerpiece, Alexandria became a city that was replete with the best and brightest minds of the time. The Library of Alexandria was the place to be for the highest learning in the land. Probably the most active participant in the Library’s functions and research was Hypatia. She became to be the embodiment of learning and scholarly achievement, which was extremely rare for a woman at that time.

  8. Hypatia was a scholar who became well known at Alexandria. Her primary field of expertise was mathematics, mostly due to the teachings of her father; Theonof Alexandria. She grew to replace Theon as the principal mathematician in Alexandria, and succeeded him as director of the library. she studied and taught Neo-Platonist philosophy, as well as astronomy, and was sought out because she was such an excellent teacher. One of Hypatia’s contributions to mathematics was the work she did on conic sections, initially developed by Apollonius. Hypatia edited the works of Apollonius: “On the conics of Apollonius”, where she elaborated on the division of cones into a plane, which gave origins to what we know today as ellipses, parabolas, and hyperbolas. Her work on these mathematical concepts made them much easier to understand, because of which they were able to survive through time. Hypatia, 1885, by Charles William Mitchell (1854 - 1903) Oil on canvas, 244.5 x 152.5 cm, Laing Art Gallery.http://www.artyzm.com/world/m/mitchell/hypatia.htm

  9. Hypatia was also known for her contributions to the development and use of the Astrolabe. (photo, left above.) “Astrolabe” is a Greek word which translates to “Star Tracker”. The Astrolabe is a device that uses triangulation to determine, as well as predict, the precise locations of the sun, moon, the planets, and the stars. The Astrolabe can be used to determine the time of day, latitude, and elevation. It is truly a remarkable device, that has many applications for surveying, navigation, and common everyday timekeeping. Hypatia was the woman who popularized its use in Alexandria. The Astrolabe was in Alexandria what we consider to be a wristwatch today, mostly because of Hypatia. The Astrolabe was useful on land, but was impractical at sea. A modified version called the “Mariner’s Astrolabe” was developed, and this was the precursor to the Sextant that dominated maritime navigation in the 1700’s. Clearly Hypatia had unknown influence that lasted for thousands of years after her death. Above: Three Capetian French scholars consulting an astrolabe, c.1200 AD

  10. Hypatia is also credited with the invention of the Hydrometer. The Hydrometer is a simple device that is used to determine the specific gravity of a liquid. A contemporary of Hypatia, Synesius, needed to determine the correct dosage of a medicine, and consulted Hypatia for a way to determine the amount of water within a certain liquid. A hydrometer is lowered into a glass filled with the liquid in question. The hydrometer is calibrated so that it will become buoyant when equilibrium is reached between the weight water in the hydrometer and the equivalent weight of water in the unknown liquid. This value will give the specific gravity of the unknown liquid. The hydrometer is an extremely useful device for determining the concentration of distilled liquids, and they are still used today.

  11. Often known as “The Father of Algebra”, Diophantus (c.214 CE– c.298 CE), was a Greek mathematician in Alexandria. He wrote a series of books called Arithmetica, which have provided the foundations for what we know as modern mathematics. Hypatia wrote a commentary on Diophantus’ teachings. A commentary in this respect meant an entire re-writing of his work, new interpretations, explanations, and proofs. It is theorized that all surviving works of the Arithmetica were from the writing of Hypatia. Moreover, it was Hypatia who taught Diophantus’ mathematics to the world. Hypatia was well known as one of the best teachers in Alexandria, and it was Diophantus’ mathematics that Hypatia taught. Because Hypatia was the one who essentially published and popularized Diophantus’ Arithmetica, the mathematical world owes Hypatia some gratitude. Title page of the 1621 edition of Diophantus' Arithmetica.

  12. Hypatia was a follower and a teacher of Neo- Platonism. This is a philosophy which contends that all things and all life are from the source of the one and infinite, and through philosophical contemplation and transcendence, a person can be united with the one and infinite. While Plato’s world view sought to differentiate between the world of forms (people, places, things) and the one & infinite, i.e., God, Neoplatonismheld that the finite world of experience could be united with the infinite and spiritual. “God is not external to anyone, but is present with all things, though they are ignorant that he is so.” -Plotinus Link: Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy, Neoplatonism Plotinus - Ostiense Museum, Ostia Antica, Rome, Italy.

  13. Hypatia was was a political lightning rod at the time. On the left there is a portrait of the roman Govenor of Alexandria, Orestes. On the right is the Bishop of Alexandria, Cyril. Orestes and Hypatia were friends, and despite increasing opposition from the new Christian church, Hypatia continued her teachings. The Christian church considered Hypatia, her teachings, her students, and all the other scholars and their works at Alexandria, to be paganism, and that they should be eradicated. In 415 AD, at the direction of Cyril, Hypatia was ambushed on her way to work by a mob of Cyril’s Christian followers. They dragged her through the streets, flayed the flesh from her body with abalone shells, and then burned her remains, along with all of her work. A year later the great library of Alexandria was burned down. Other scholars were killed or fled, and all of the great knowledge that was accumulated at Alexandria was lost to pave the way for the oncoming dark ages. Works of Sophocles, Galen, Eratosthenes, et al., were lost forever. To illustrate the magnitude of the loss, one discovery in Alexandria by Aristarchus of Samos proposed that the Earth orbited the Sun, along with all the other planets, and the stars were other suns, very far away. It was nearly 1500 years before this was re-discovered. The Christian Church later made Cyril a saint. Orestes, Prefect of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria

  14. Videos Part 1: Carl Sagan discusses the Great Library at Alexandria, and the state of scientific thought at the time. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKvYBARLGZg Part 2: Carl Sagan recounts Hypatia, who studied and taught the libraryof Alexandria. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MsF8JhkRIk

  15. The murder of Hypatia and the destruction of the library of Alexandria represented the epitome of religious intolerance and ignorance. Because these events are ancient history, some may believe that these issues are no longer important, or that they do not exist today. Wrong. Religious intolerance and ignorance are alive and well today, and religion remains a very powerful medium for political influence and power. As of this writing there are hate groups across the globe that reject scientific advancement and creative thought as blasphemy to their religion, and use religion to justify their heinous claims against humanity. Be it Christian, Mormon, Jewish, or Islamic fundamentalism, or some other religion, the power of the Church to persuade minds away from scientific discovery and truth cannot be underestimated. Religion can be a great thing for people, but there must be care taken by religious leaders to teach tolerance for others instead of intolerance, and to allow creativity and discovery instead of controlled thought.

  16. The New Library @ Alexandria, Bibliotheca Alexandrina

  17. References & Sources http://euphrosynedoxiadis.com/home.html http://www.astrolabes.org/ http://www.mlahanas.de/Greeks/Ypatia.htm http://penelope.uchicago.edu/~grout/encyclopaedia_romana/greece/paganism/hypatia.html http://www.astr.ua.edu/4000WS/HYPATIA.html The Life and Legacy of Hypatia, by Danielle Williams http://hem.bredband.net/b153434/Works/Hypatia.htm Female Inventors: Hypatia http://www.inventions.org/culture/female/hypatia.html The Foundation and Loss of the Royal and Serapeum Libraries of Alexandria http://www.bede.org.uk/Library2.htm “The Life of Hypatia” From Damascius'sLife of Isidore, reproduced in The Suda Translated by Jeremiah Reedy http://cosmopolis.com/alexandria/hypatia-bio-suda.html , http://cosmopolis.com/people/hypatia.html Bibliotheca Alexandrina http://www.bibalex.org/Home/Default_EN.aspx “Hypatia and Her Mathematics" (1994) by Michael A. B. Deakin, The American Mathematical Monthly, 101(3), 234-243 Link: http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&cd=1&ved=0CBQQFjAA&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwwmat.mat.fc.ul.pt%2F~jnsilva%2FSherlock%2Fhypatia2.pdf&rct=j&q=Hypatia%20and%20Her%20Mathematics%20(1994)%20by%20Michael%20A.%20B.%20Deakin%2C%20The%20American%20Mathematical%20Monthly%2C%20101(3)%2C%20234-243&ei=nLGITcHbHcfDgQeskqjADQ&usg=AFQjCNGDNiOoS2RTP-O9i8bobn2jWV-fXg&sig2=nTXhm1ukaVperKAsNfX94A&cad=rja

More Related