Famous women 3.1 EXPERT
Which ancient philosopher and mathematician, leader of the Neoplatonic school of Alexandria, was brutally murdered by a mob because of her political influence and knowledge ?
75% of players answered correctly.
THE CORRECT ANSWER: Hypatia of Alexandria
Hypatia of Alexandria, a tragic and luminous figure of the 4th century, embodies the apogee of ancient rational thought before the rise of obscurantism. Daughter of the mathematician Théon, she surpassed her master by commenting on the works of Apollonius of Perga and Diophante.Head of the Neoplatonic school, she taught astronomy and philosophy to a Mediterranean elite, independently of religious dogmas. Renowned mathematician and astronomer, she headed the Alexandria school. Her influence with the pagan prefect Orestes unwittingly involves her in the violent power struggles between the civil power and Bishop Cyril.In 415, she was intercepted by a crowd of fanatical Christians in 415, the parabalani, who dismembered her before burning her remains. His death symbolically marks the end of the classical era and the transition to the Middle Ages.Hypatia remains today an icon of freedom of thought, scientific rigor and intellectual resistance in the face of fanaticism, inspiring numerous artists and historians throughout the centuries.