Hypatia of Alexandria

Hypatia of Alexandria (370-415 AD) was a female philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer who worked and lectured at the University of Alexandria in Roman-controlled Egypt. Despite the gender prejudice that prevailed during her time, she nonetheless won respect as a brilliant academic by her contemporaries as well as later historians. Unfortunately this did not save her from the wrath of fanatical Christian monks who had her dragged by her chariot down the street, stripped naked, beaten to death, and then burned. Some historians believe that Hypatia’s death marked a tragic end not only for a woman of her intellect but for the intellectual tradition of science and philosophy which she represented, hence while it has been called “the end of classical antiquity”.

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