The first woman mathematician of whom we have reasonably secure and detailed knowledge, Hypatia (see Figure 1) was the daughter of Theon of Alexandria who was a mathematician, astronomer and member of the Museum. Reputed to have outshone her father in her studies, she devoted her life to the teaching of mathematics and Neoplatonist philosophy in Alexandria. She is most famous for her brutal murder (c. 415 CE) by a crowd of zealous monks. Much has been written about her, but little is known for certain.
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