Hypatia, << hy PAY shee uh >> (A.D. 370?-415) an Egyptian mathematician and philosopher, was the first noted woman in mathematics. She was also a leader of the philosophical movement called Neoplatonism, which developed from the ideas of the ancient Greek philosopher Plato.
Hypatia was born in Alexandria, Egypt, then a great center of learning. She and her father, Theon, a mathematician and astronomer, coauthored commentaries on the works of Ptolemy, a Greek astronomer who lived in Alexandria. Historians also credit Hypatia with analyses of the works of other mathematicians, including Diophantus, sometimes called the father of algebra, who was probably Greek.
Hypatia lectured on philosophy, astronomy, mathematics, and religious literature in her home and at lecture halls in Alexandria. People apparently consulted her on governmental matters. Letters written by Synesius of Cyrene, one of her students, provide the most important information on her life and teaching.
Hypatia was murdered by followers of Saint Cyril of Alexandria, a Christian bishop, because she supported Cyril’s political enemy Orestes, the chief Roman officer of the city. Charles Kingsley’s novel Hypatia (1853) is based on the events surrounding her death.
