Pythagoras and Hypatia are among the top ten mathematicians, according to Alex Bellos of The Guardian (the British online newspaper). Hypatia is the only woman on the list and is there because of her translation of Euclid's "Elements." She worked at the Library in Alexandria and had a horrible death. A Christian mob killed her, pulled away her flesh with pottery shards, and ripped off her arms and legs. Bellos doesn't say why, so I looked it up.
Some believe that she kept Orestes from reconciling with the bishop. Orestes was a Roman governor who clashed with the bishop of Alexandria. The fallout caused Hypatia's death. Thanks to F.C. Tymrak for twitting the link.
No comments:
Post a Comment