Hypatia was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria, a notable mathematician and philosopher (it is from his version of Euclid's Elements that all surviving texts are derived). Hypatia was a Neoplatonist, and lectured on Neoplatonism and mathematics. She is the earliest known significant female mathematician. Sadly none of her mathematical works survives, though her commentaries on the work of other mathematicians may be preserved in some of the annotations that have come down to us. She was murdered by a Christian mob in 415, incited by the patriarch of Alexandria to wipe out pagan scholarship. The Library at Alexandria was destroyed at the same time.
[en la imagen, la actriz británica Rachel Weisz interpreta a Hipatia en la reciente película Ágora, de Alejandro Amenábar]
Vocabulary:
Euclid's Elements - los Elementos de Euclides, uno de los libros más famosos e importantes de la historia de las matemáticas
Neoplatonism - Neoplatonismo, una corriente filosófica de la antigüedad
lectured on - daba conferencias sobre
that have come down to us - que nos han llegado
mob - turba, muchedumbre
to wipe out - exterminar, aniquilar
pagan scholarship - ciencia pagana, estudios paganos
El presente texto ha sido extraído del libro The Story of Mathematics, escrito por Anne Rooney.
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