Ancient Greek female Mathematicians.
Not one, not two, not ten ... there are 40 female mathematicians in Ancient Greece. !!!!!!! Apart from Hypatia, everyone else surrendered to the oblivion of history.
It took 31 centuries to return to light and claim a place in the scientific world, thanks to the research done by the mathematician and author Evangelos Spandangos.
The "relay race " for the discovery of unknown ancient Greek mathematics began for the awarded both by the World Study Group on ancient cultures and by the Academy of Athens Mathematics when a student asked him "besides Hypatia referring to the school book of Geometry, did not there exist other mathematical women in antiquity? ". "I went home, started searching for books, asking friends and acquaintances, but no one knew anything," explains Mr. Spagdano the occasion of the adventure of the world of mathematics women. A research adventure of four years, along with his daughter of Roula, mathematician as well, which resulted in the identification of a total of 40 female mathematicians from the 10th century. B.C. until the 5th c. A.D.
What was their profile?
They come from different corners of the Hellenic world. Most had gone beyond basic education. Those who belonged to the Pythagorean School had no problems, because Pythagoras accepted women in his school. There were also some, like Lasthenia from Arcadia, who seemed to have been studying at the Academy of Plato dressed as men because women were not allowed. Interesting is the fact that very few were married and had children.
Why did they stay in obscurity? To a large extent, from the attitude of ancient societies to "trained women", where the woman was always treated as the different, the corrupt, the abnormal or the odd that escaped the classical image of the housewife, husband and mother. However, our ignorance of these women is also due to the destruction of various historical testimonies, predominantly the destruction of the library of Alexandria, and the fact that there is a dislike to both mathematics and ancient Greek language.
Is it possible to identify other female scientists in the ancient world?
Research is ongoing and everything is possible. As long as we look specifically in Arabic manuscripts that have rescued in translation ancient Greek works that were burned together with the Library of Alexandria, there are hopes. Even today women and mathematics seem to be incompatible. In fact, President Harvard Lawrence Hammers had to resign shortly after his statement that "women are not made for mathematics!" "Maybe the treatment of women who deal with mathematics has not changed much since antiquity," says Maria Fragoulopoulou, professor at the Department of Mathematics at the University of Athens. "Even today many are surprised to hear that a woman is a mathematician, perhaps because mathematics is considered difficult. Taking as a fact that we are considered to be the weaker sex ... " she says.
Some of the first female mathematicians:
The death of Hypatia
Hypatia the "Geometric" (4th century AD):
Hypatia was born in Alexandria around 355 AD. She was the daughter of Theon, a very important scholar, a mathematician and an astronomer who made remarkable remarks on the works of two great ancient Alexandrian mathematicians and philosophers, Ptolemeos and Euclides. Beside her father, Hypatia received excellent education, which she developed and cultivated to such an extent and eventually overcame him. She herself continued her father's work, teaching philosophy, mathematics and astronomy. She is the most famous mathematician of antiquity and the first female scientist whose life has been recorded in detail. Despite the fact that most of her writings have been lost, there are still many references to them. She was the last heathen scientist in the western world and is being reported to be murdered because she refused to convert to a Christian.
Ethra with her son Theseus
ETHRA (10th - 9th century BC)
The mythical figure of Aithra, the daughter of the king of Troizinos Pittheas and the mother of Theseus, emerges through the unblemished history of another property unknown to many. The capacity of the teacher of arithmetic (accounting) using abacus and symbols. Beginer of the beginers of the most cerebral science, Ethra was learning accounting (arithmetic) for the children of Troizina, with that complicated method, which arouses awe, since there was no scratch, and the numbers were symbolic, since their symbols required many repetitions
AXIOTHEA (4th century BC).
She is also a student, like Lasthenia, at Plato Academy. She came to Athens from the Peloponnesian town of Fliounta. She showed particular interest in mathematics and natural philosophy. Later she taught these sciences in Corinthos and Athens.
ARETI of Kyrenia (4th - 3rd century BC).
Aristippus' daughter, founder of the Cyrenaic philosophical faculty, Areti (also known as Ariti) studied at the Plato Academy. She is said to have taught mathematics, physical and ethical philosophy in Attica for several years, and that she has written at least forty books of varied content, including mathematics. After her father's death, she succeeded him after being elected to the School's direction. Typically, among her students, there were about 100 philosophers. John Morans in his book "Women in Science" mentions that the epitaph of her tomb wrote: The greatness of Greece, with the beauty of Helen, the pen of Aristippus, the soul of Socrates and the language of Homer. "
The son of Areti, Aristipos jr, promoted Cyrene's philosophy considerably. According to Athenaeus (scholar, author and writer, 2nd - 3rd century AD), Areti told her students the following anecdote: When a student of the Academy claimed that the art of counting is due to Palamidis, Plato asked him " So, without Palamedes, Agamemnon would not know how many feet nature gave him? "
ARIGNOTI (6th century BC).
Philosopher, writer, mathematician from Samos. Porphyrios refers to her as Pythagoras daughter. The Souda dictionary refers to her as a student of Pythagoras. Arignoti wrote many philosophical works and a mathematical book entitled "ABOUT NUMBERS" that was lost. After the dissolution of the School she returned to Samos.
BITALIS (6th - 5th century BC).
Vitalis or Vistala, daughter of Damas and granddaughter of Pythagoras. Known for Pythagorean mathematics. Damo, before she died, entrusted her with the "memoirs", her father's philosophical texts.
DAMO (6th century BC).
Daughter of Pythagoras and Theanos taught the Pythagorean doctrines at the Croton School. After the dissolution of the School, Damo, in which Pythagoras had trusted his writings, with the mandate not to announce them to uninitiated, resorted to Athens. For a long time she kept her father's order. Later, however, she published only the geometric teaching of Pythagoras, with the help of Philolaos and Thymarida. This version, which had (according to Iamblichos) the title 'THE PYTHAGORUS HISTORY' was a higher-level geometry. According to Geminos, the construction of the standard tetrahedron and the construction of the cube are due to Damo. Damo married a Pythagorean in Athens and acquired a daughter Vitali. Diogenis Laertios attributes the visa to her: "OF THE SHEMES, THE BEST IS THE SPHERE FROM THE SOLID, AND CIRCLE FROM THE FLAT''
Until Part 2 , take care !
Ελληνική έκδοση του άρθρου την οποία μετέφρασα θα βρείτε εδώ :
http://homouniversalisgr.blogspot.gr/2013/08/blog-post_6762.html