SOURCE: "Finding Bits and Pieces of Hypatia" in Hypatia's Daughters, Indiana University Press, 1996, pp. 1-26.

Here, Waithe focuses on Hypatia's accomplishments as a scholar and educator, emphasizing in particular her application of philosophic analysis and methodology to the exposition of mathematics and astronomy. Waithe also examines the texts of possible early editions or prototypes of Hypatia's writings that appear in the work of later authors.

When Hypatia: A Journal of Feminist Philosophy was founded in 1983 and the decision was made to name it after a famous ancient woman philosopher, the received wisdom was that none of Hypatia's writings survived. As it turned out, the conventional wisdom was false. In the present chapter I will describe what we can surmise about Hypatia's life, her students, her teaching and her writing.¹

Hypatia was probably born circa 370-375, although some scholars claim (on questionable grounds) a much earlier date.² Hypatia was...