Hypatia, Cleopatra, Mary Magdalene and Joan of Ark all have one aspect in common; they were all women who influenced their society and still continue to impact our thoughts today. Hypatia lived in Alexandria, Egypt sometime between 370 and 415 AD. She was the daughter of Theon, a man considered to be the most educated in Alexandria during this time. Hypata received a first-class education because of her family background. She studied Astronomy and Mathematics and later studied Philosophy. B. Lumpkin describes Hypatia as "one of the universal geniuses of antiquity" and B. L. Van der Waerden describes Hypatia as " a very learned woman, heroine of romantic atrocity tales. She was handsome, she was eloquent and she was charming- (Dzielska 25). Not only was Hypatia intelligent and well educated; her physical appearance was beautiful. However, Hypatia's reputation ended tragically when Cyril's followers rip her clothes and left the body outside the city to burn on a pyre of sticks. .
Hypatia's tragic death has two central interpretations, a political interpretation and a religious interpretation. An interpretation supported by Leconte de Lisle, Roero di Saluzzo and Mario Luzi, was that Hypatia was murdered because of the rising Pagan cult and Cyril's measure to prevent it. Voltaire emphasized "she was murdered because she believed in the Hellenic gods, the laws of rational Nature, and the capacities of the human mind free of imposed dogmas" (2). It is interpreted that Hypatia was murdered because of Cyril's fear of Christianity descending and Paganism rising. Another interpretation of Hypatia's murder was the political reason; Cyril was jealous of Hypatia. This jealousy gradually led itself to the murder of an innocent soul, Hypatia. .
Of the two interpretations, I strongly support the political interpretation. "Socrates, Hesychius, and Damascius all point to Cyril's jealousy as the cause of Hypatia's death (98).
