Product Description
In the late fourth and early fifth centuries of our era, Hypatia of Alexandria was the world's greatest living mathematician and astronomer. A strikingly beautiful woman and a devoted celibate, she lived in a city as turbulent and troubled as Baghdad or Beirut is today. She achieved fame not only in her special field, but also as a philosopher, religious thinker, and teacher who attracted a large popular following. Her life ended tragically in violence at the hands of a rampaging mob of Christian fanatics, who killed her for her "pagan" beliefs, some say at the instigation of St. Cyril of Alexandria.

This is the first biography of Hypatia to integrate all aspects of her life. Mathematician Michael Deakin emphasizes that, though she was a philosopher, she was first and foremost a mathematician and astronomer of great accomplishment. In a fascinating narrative that brings to life a richly diverse ancient society, he describes her work so that the mathematics, presented in straightforward terms, finds its true place in the context of her life as a whole. Deakin supplies full detail on the historical, intellectual, and religious context of Hypatia's times. He also analyzes the pattern of her life and thought, and finally gives an account of the events leading up to her lynch-mob execution.

Although this outrageous crime has made Hypatia a powerful symbol of intellectual freedom and feminist aspiration to this day, Deakin makes clear that the important intellectual contributions of her life's work should not be overshadowed by her tragic death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

The Lost World of Hypatia
The disappointing thing about this book is the lack of a good narrative. The problem is that there is so little known about Hypatia and her world that not a lot can be said. Try to imagine a colony in Egypt of mostly Greek ethnicity, where pagans and Christians both fought and coexisted and interacted, if not always well, with a Jewish minority. The culture was in decline and the science, such as it was, died with Hypatia. This resembles the contemporary USA more than Egypt or any place in North Africa or the Middle East today. The academic mathematics community has become utterly moribund and it is being followed by theoretical physics (see Lee Smolin's book "The Trouble with Physics"). Who is our version of Hypatia? Perhaps Lynn Margulis, a biologist whe dares to be different.

Very good
This book is very good. The historical context about Hypatia's time and life is very interesting. Read this book, you'll learn much more about the christian's church in the first times.

A specialist's view
This is a difficult book to evaluate. Deakin is a mathematician, not a classical historian, and apart from his discussion of Hypatia's place in Alexandrian mathematics, this biography contains little that is not already to be found elsewhere, most notably in Maria Dzielska's study. Deakin does a reasonable job of putting Hypatia in a cultural context, but his understanding of late antiquity is superficial and admittedly garnered largely from encyclopedias. On the other hand, he has closely studied the sources for Hypatia's life (which he includes in an appendix) and the meagre evidence for her influence on philosophy and science. His introduction to astrolabes and conic sections is of some intrinsic interest and helps illuminate the state of knowledge in the fifth century, but since we have not one shred of writing that is inarguably Hypatia's work, the connection is rather tenuous. Nonetheless Deakin's conclusions give a valuable new perspective on this best-known of female Hellenists: one of a teacher with a wide range of interests, if not an original thinker. ... Read more

Product Description

Hypatia—brilliant mathematician, eloquent Neoplatonist, and a woman renowned for her beauty—was brutally murdered by a mob of Christians in Alexandria in 415. She has been a legend ever since. In this engrossing book, Maria Dzielska searches behind the legend to bring us the real story of Hypatia's life and death, and new insight into her colorful world.

Historians and poets, Victorian novelists and contemporary feminists have seen Hypatia as a symbol—of the waning of classical culture and freedom of inquiry, of the rise of fanatical Christianity, or of sexual freedom. Dzielska shows us why versions of Hypatia's legend have served her champions' purposes, and how they have distorted the true story. She takes us back to the Alexandria of Hypatia's day, with its Library and Museion, pagan cults and the pontificate of Saint Cyril, thriving Jewish community and vibrant Greek culture, and circles of philosophers, mathematicians, astronomers, and militant Christians. Drawing on the letters of Hypatia's most prominent pupil, Synesius of Cyrene, Dzielska constructs a compelling picture of the young philosopher's disciples and her teaching. Finally she plumbs her sources for the facts surrounding Hypatia's cruel death, clarifying what the murder tells us about the tensions of this tumultuous era.

Customer Reviews (11)

Hypatia of Alexandria
Very scholarly. Also written very well. It cuts through the centuries of distortion. An excellent study!

Interesting edit of an excellent book
The other reviews highlighting the quality of scholarship are correct.It is an excellent book.

Still, I have a story that I would like to share. The copy that I read was borrowed from the local public library.What merits mention are the edits performed on the book by a previous patron.That person had systematically changed every occurrence of "pagan" with a lower case "p" to "Pagan" with an upper case "p" and penciled out "St." every time Dzielska referred to some personage as "Saint X."Whatever my annoyance at the defacement of the library's book, the result demonstrated to the subsequent reader how apparently neutral linguistic conventions can be construed as embodying a certain Christian religious viewpoint.

Sweeping away the myths of Hypatia with serious scholarship
The author is an expert on the history of the Roman Empire, and describes well the dangerous nature of Alexandrian politics during the Greek and Roman periods. The bishop Cyril comes off as a powerhungry political figure who used religion for his own ends. There is evidence that Hypatia supported the prefect Orestes in opposition to him, and that Cyril mounted a slander campaign against her for this, and his political attacks on her are the more likely reason why she was murdered.

I find Maria Dzielska's book to be an honest survey of the scarce knowledge surrounding the enigmatic figure of Hypatia, and places her into the history and culture of the time. It sweeps away much of the myth surrounding her person. I highly recommend this book.

Refreshing, academic and balanced
The contentious figure ofHypatia is dealt with as well as could be hoped given such scant extant documentation. The author, however, writes well and develops as clear a narrative line as possible and depicts the importance and probable conflicts of Hypatia's life without the mythologizing and hero worship sought after by those would would prefer her to be a 'feminist' or 'pagan martyr'. It is refreshing when historians show the complexity of history, which is amoral, and also acknowledge that our interpretations are often at best flawed given the passage of time. Reading this book will whet your appetite for further reading on the time period.

One of History's Great Women
Whether your interest is women scholars or female scientists in antiquity, Christian history or pagan philosophy, this book is a major eye-opener.Hypatia--and all her female colleagues--deserve to be remembered, and Dzielska deserves credit for helping preserve their story. ... Read more

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NOTE FROM PUBLISHER

Dear Readers, "Volume 1" does not belong in the title of "Flow Down Like
Silver."  As the publisher, we offer our apology for any confusion this has
caused, but multiple attempts to correct this problem with Amazon have
met with failure thus far.

Please understand there is ONLY one book, it is NOT a series. The proper
title is "Flow Down Like Silver: Hypatia of Alexandria" by Ki Longfellow.

Sincerely,
Shane Roberts
Publisher, Eio Books


From the dawn of history, countless women have marked their times in extraordinary ways. Women have been warriors, Pharaohs, popes, queens and kings, philosophers, poets, mathematicians, composers, painters, writers, revolutionaries and "witches."

But there was only one HYPATIA.

Brilliant, beautiful, accomplished and free, Hypatia of Alexandria was the last of the great Pagan teachers. Her brutal death at the hands of a Christian mob foretold the death of reason, of questioning, of reverence for nature, of the Goddess herself.

Following her acclaimed novel "The Secret Magdalene," Ki Longfellow now offers a stunning portrait of the life and death of Hypatia of Alexandria. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (14)

Late into the night
I lay in bed reading this, living in this book as if nothing else existed - which is the best kind of book.In my own bed, I traveled the world with a magnificent, flawed, heroic, brilliant woman who has hardly been heard of, even with a major motion picture made about her.But what happened to that film?The Church managed to keep Agora bottled up, almost unseen, even though at least in Spain it was a huge hit.Now you can only see it on DVD.Thank God for the latest technology.And here is the book that will take you farther and deeper into Hypatia and her world.Full of beautiful imagery and wonderful heart-breaking characters, this is a book for the ages.It's different than Longfellow's other wonderful book, The Secret Magdalene: A Novel, but it's no less good.

Bodice-ripper Hypatia
Let me start by saying the author's writing is excellent.Great descriptives, I like the individual narratives, but what really disappoints is the story and character of Hypatia.

If you're looking for the heroic Hypatia of history, who had the backbone of steel to stand up to men at a time where simply being a woman meant you were someone else's property, to teach men, to mortify a puppy-love admirer in front of his peers and to become the very symbol of paganism and philosophy and open learning that made her a bullseye for early Christian fundamentalist fanatics, you're not going to find that woman in this book.Stick with the movie.

In this book, you'll find a bodice-ripper, in-the-style-of-Danielle-Steele heroine with her absent, Milquetoast, father, a woman who is passive to everything that happens to her (think of what you know happens to bodice-ripper romance heroines and you already know what happens to Hypatia), who thinks outrageous thoughts but never acts on them nor even speaks up when wrongs are done her, who questions the universe but never questions what a stranger is doing in her own household, passing him off negligently in the style of Scarlet O'Hara, whose siblings keep rather important things from her because "Oh, she'll find out"and misguided loyalties.

Gods, this was an awful characterization of her.An insult to the real Hypatia.

Skip this book.

a life of intellectual curiosity, integrity and courage
More of the rich storytelling and compelling research that Ki Longfellow brought to her previous book, "The Secret Magdalene". Unlike "Magdalene", "Flow Down Like Silver" is told through, not one, but several 1st-person witnesses - Hypatia herself, plus intimates and acquaintances of the legendary mathematician/philosopher during the latter half of her life. This approach tempers a bit of the reader's emotional empathy for the principal character, offering in its place the intimate perceptions of several who came within her sphere of influence. Hypatia is portrayed as a lovely and guileless intellectual with a streak of heroic stubbornness. Her existential example of a life lived with integrity and authenticity provokes admiration, fear and even wonder in those who encounter her.

5th century Alexandria becomes as much a character in this tale as any one individual, much as 1st-century Palestine came so alive in The Secret Magdalene. The principal conflict between the tolerant, intellectual agnosticism represented by Hypatia, and the reactionary intolerance of the rising Christian sects offers obvious and troubling parallels with today's world.

The story leaves us with the intriguing possibility and fervent hope that some of Hypatia's own writings, and perhaps books of the once great Library, are waiting somewhere under the Egyptian desert to one day be recovered.

A real page turner
Really enjoyed this book and the author's captivating style of writing.The quality of the binding on the book, however, was not great and pages began falling out of my paperback as I was reading.Contacted Amazon and they quickly replaced the book with no hassle, allowing me to finish the book without the distraction of "falling leaves".Bought this book because of the publicity over the movie Agora recently released, depicting Hypatia of Alexandria's life.By buying this book, out of curiosity, I have found an author well worth reading...inspiring me to purchase another of her books, The Secret Magdalen.Both books richly woven with interesting details.

DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK
Gentle Readers, DO NOT MISS THIS BOOK!

The beautiful story and character development that Ki Longfellow accomplishes in her writing is not by accident; it is by astounding research, tenacity, mental brilliance and Ki's own gnosis.
I became so deeply involved along the path of this moving story that at times I felt waves of lightheadedness wash over me as if "veils" of the past were being lifted.
I had the same sensation in reading The Secret Magdalene: A Noveland upon finishing it, started right back at the beginning to read it again.
The understanding of political and religious pressure in such an ancient time became reflective to me of what is going on in the world view today in many ways.
And when I understand that Hypatia was a female in those times, this mighty story becomes even more terrible and fascinating.
The thing that I found disquieting was the amount of ancient knowledge of which I am unaware. When you go to the reference area in the back of the book, you will see the kind of research Longfellow goes through for her readers and herself.

I am so looking forward to the next book in this series about the life of
Mary Magdalene after the death of Jesus, called "The Woman Who Knew The All" by Ki Longfellow.
Mary Costello-Martinez






... Read more

Product Description
It was in the illustrious city of Alexandria that the celebrated beauty Hypatia, (Hy-pa-sha) a Fifth Century “renaissance” woman lived her brief but brilliant life as a professor of philosophy, mathematics, chemistry and astronomy. Bishop Cyril despised Hypatia and ordered her brutal death. His army destroyed her manuscripts and inventions as Cyril attempted to erase her name from history. Her trusted scribe and lover, Ramas, however hid her secret scrolls in the ancient city of Petra.Her brilliance is stated in Carl Sagan’s #1 best seller, Cosmos, “The glory of the Alexandrian library is a dim memory. Its last remnants were destroyed soon after Hypatia’s death. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Amateurish Triumph
A powerful and disturbing story, much of which is vividly and powerfully told. This is a story well worth telling and here its shocking import is strongly shown. It's an absorbing read. Yes, it is very amateurish and needs a thorough editing. A lot of it reads like the product of a talented but raw student on a creative writing course. There are spelling errors, grammatical faults, wrong words used. Often, it reads like a rather rocky translation from another language. But I can't help loving its naive vivacity. Whatever you think of the fact that Hypatia is given a lover here, in the person of the fictional scribe Ramas, the depiction of the assassination is done very well indeed and is genuinely shocking. Though Bishop Cyril's nastiness assumes cartoonish proportions, there is an atmosphere of beauty and terror combined that keeps you reading. It really ought to have been worked on much more, but it's enjoyable nonetheless.

Errors, errors, and more errors.
I just browsed this book tonight.Other than wondering just how much we actually know about the person Hypatia, and just how the author knows that the basement of the Vatican contain a bunch of information about her, I suppose the story is engrossing enough.One minor nitpick, though--from the little that is known about Hypatia, it is frequently said that Hypatia had no interest in men, for whatever reason.However, the author portrays Hypatia as having had several lovers.Hmm.

Where this book REALLY falls down, however, is that it needs a thorough proofreading by someone who has a better grasp of spelling, grammar, and word usage.There are way too many errors in spelling, punctuation, and choice of words!The book is physically nice looking, but you open the inside and its production was just unprofessional.

I know that on the internet, people misspell stuff all the time and no one seems to care.But book publishing is a different world.Words mean things; it matters how you use language, and it matters whether you spell something correctly, because your typos may change the meaning of your text.

Advice to this author and to other self-published authors:Get someone to proofread your book--not an "English" teacher necessarily (they frequently can't spell)--but maybe someone who works in an occupation where they MUST spell, punctuate, and use words correctly.Maybe even someone who, like me, used to enter and win spelling bees, and who now works as a medical transcriptionist.

Hypatia's Earlier Incarnation by Charles Kingley
For those who find Kramer's work a bit thin, the early, weightier novel of the life and the period of this intriguing philosopher is worth a read in~ "HYPATIA" by Charles Kingley, circa 1900.

Hardly Historical
With a 15-year interest in Hypatia & Alexandria, I have read or skimmed most of the literature for general readers, and a little of the specialist literature (such as the 10th-century Suda, parts of which are available on-line).I got "Holy Murder" from my local library.A quick skim was enough.

With that preamble, let the reader beware:Holy Murder belongs in the Harlequin Romance section.Historical details are shaky, and the novelistic inventions are gratuitous - not consonant with what little we know of 5th-century Alexandria.If you're going to invent stuff, is it too much to ask that you do a little historical research before hand?Is it too much to ask that you at least be aware of Hypatia's proudest claim - life-long celibacy?Ramos - scribe & lover; good Gawd.

Readers wishing to know the historical Hypatia are encouraged first to spend some quality time w/ Maria Dzielka's "Hypatia of Alexandria."It's a bit dry, as all patient, scholarly works must be, but Patient Reader's efforts will be well rewarded.Among a great many things, the reader will discover Dzielka's strong case that Hypatia's murder was political, not religious, cutting the ground out, even, from under Kramer's title.

The only other fact-based work for the general reader that I'm aware of is Michael Deakin's "Hypatia - Mathematician & Martyr."His book overlaps Dzielka's a bit, but he also supplements it by providing a thorough analysis of Hypatia's mathematical contributions, which were significant (Mathophobics alert:It's not all that difficult).Before publishing his book, Deakin also maintained a web page of all the contemporary & quasi-contemporary sources (such as the Suda)on Hypatia.Would you be surprised that they can be listed on a single sheet?That's how little we really know - not so much as a scrap from Hypatia's own hand; almost all from her adoring pupil, Synesius of Cyrene (BUT: both Dzielska & Deakin make a good case that modern editions of Euclid's "Elements" are all direct descendents of Hypatia's edition, so her most important work lives on, in spite of all the romantic nonsense that clings barnacle-like to her name).

Call me a prematurely old fogey (all of 55!), but I find facts and history so much more interesting than romance.

Lots of fiction - little history
Be careful with this - the reader should know that this is fiction, though the description does not mention it. I was expecting a historical study of this amazing woman - this is a fictionalized and romanticized "historical" novel with no bibliography, index or footnotes. I cannot recommend it for someone interested in the real story of Hypatia. ... Read more

Product Description
Chapters: Augustine of Hippo, Septimius Severus, Athanasius of Alexandria, Hypatia, Tertullian, Cyril of Alexandria, Apuleius, Anthony the Great, Macrinus, Terence, Cyprian, Marcus Cornelius Fronto, Sextus Julius Africanus, Synesius, Pope Alexander of Alexandria, Macarius of Egypt, Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, Lucius Annaeus Cornutus, Saint Monica, Flavius Cresconius Corippus, Saint Possidius, Publius Annius Florus, Aemilia Clara, Sextus Cornelius Repentinus. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 184. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Augustine of Hippo (; Latin: ;) (November 13, 354 August 28, 430), Bishop of Hippo Regius, also known as Augustine, St. Augustine, or St. Austin was a Latin speaking philosopher and theologian living in the Roman Africa Province. Augustine, a Latin church father, is one of the most important figures in the development of Western Christianity. He "established anew the ancient faith" (conditor antiquae rursum fidei), according to his contemporary, Jerome. In his early years he was heavily influenced by Manichaeism and afterwards by the Neo-Platonism of Plotinus, but after his conversion and baptism (387), he developed his own approach to philosophy and theology accommodating a variety of methods and different perspectives. He believed that the grace of Christ was indispensable to human freedom and framed the concepts of original sin and just war. When the Roman Empire in the West was starting to disintegrate, Augustine developed the concept of the Church as a spiritual City of God (in a book of the same name) distinct from the material Earthly City. His thought profoundly influenced the medieval worldview. Augustine's City of God was closely identified with the church, and was the community which worshipped God. Augustine was born in the city of Thagaste, th...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2030 ... Read more

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Hypatia (370÷415 A.D.), heiress to the Alexandrian School, philosopher, mathematician, astronomer and forerunner of experimental science, conceived of and constructed the astrolabe, the hydroscope and the aerometre. Adriano Petta and Antonino Colavito have written this book, consisting of two themes intertwined like a double helix, to honour the memory of Reason's first martyr, who preferred to be slaughtered rather than giving upher freedom of thought. The first focuses on Hypatia as a woman and describes her daily activities (private, scientific and political) in an accurately reconstructed historicalcontext, recounting a life that becomes more and more dramatic till brought to an end as described in a shattering epilogue. The second theme is the voice of Hypatia which, punctuating the first with episodes or 'dreams', describes her research work. It is through the latter that she teaches and communicates with those who listen to her, both academics and ordinary people, as a master of scientific knowledge the origins of which go back at least a thousand years before her time, and which the demise of the Hellenic world and the triumph of Christianity was to bury for many centuries, until the birth of modern science, from Galileo onwards. ... Read more

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Chapters: Roman-Era Alexandrians, Hero of Alexandria, Hypatia, Menelaus of Alexandria, Hesychius of Alexandria, Pamphilus of Alexandria, Pappus of Alexandria, Appian, Orestes, Aelius Herodianus, Alypius, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, Achilles Tatius, Apollonius Dyscolus, Asclepiodotus of Alexandria, Palladas, Agathodaemon, Mesomedes, Sosigenes of Alexandria, Theon, Aristonicus of Alexandria, Arius Didymus, Ptolemaeus Chennus, Potamo of Alexandria, Nicanor Stigmatias, Apollonius the Sophist, Aelius Theon, Battle of Alexandria, Bathyllus, Eudorus of Alexandria, Seleucus of Alexandria, Aristo of Alexandria, Alexandria Pogroms, Destruction of the Alexandrian Library. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 122. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: Hypatia (Greek: , Hypatía, pronounced in English; born between AD 350 and 370; died March 415) was a Greek scholar from Alexandria, Egypt, considered the first notable woman in mathematics, who also taught philosophy and astronomy. She lived in Roman Egypt, and was killed by a Christian mob who falsely blamed her for religious turmoil. Some suggest that her murder marked the end of what is traditionally known as Classical antiquity, although others such as Christian Wildberg observe that Hellenistic philosophy continued to flourish until the age of Justinian in the sixth century. A Neoplatonist philosopher, she belonged to the mathematical tradition of the Academy of Athens represented by Eudoxus of Cnidus; she followed the school of the 3rd century thinker Plotinus, discouraging empirical enquiry and encouraging logical and mathematical studies. The name Hypatia derives from the adjective , the feminine form of (upatos), meaning "highest, uppermost, supremest". Hypatia was the daughter of Theon, who was her teacher and the last known mathematician asso...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=38375 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Science and Its Times, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 576 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.The histories of science, technology, and mathematics merge with the study of humanities and social science in this interdisciplinary reference work. Essays on people, theories, discoveries, and concepts are combined with overviews, bibliographies of primary documents, and chronological elements to offer students a fascinating way to understand the impact of science on the course of human history and how science affects everyday life. Entries represent people and developments throughout the world, from about 2000 B.C. through the end of the twentieth century. ... Read more

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Der Erwerb des Buches enthält gleichzeitig die kostenlose Mitgliedschaft im Buchklub des Verlags zum Ausprobieren - dort können Sie von über einer Million Bücher ohne weitere Kosten auswählen. Das Buch besteht aus Wikipedia-Artikeln: Euklid, Eratosthenes, Katharina von Alexandrien, Philon von Alexandria, Hypatia, Celsus, Athanasius der Große, Heron von Alexandria, Aristobulos, Kyrill von Alexandria, Liste der orthodoxen Patriarchen von Alexandria, Diophant von Alexandrien, Clemens von Alexandria, Demetrius von Alexandria, Ktesibios, Heraclas von Alexandria, Sostratos von Knidos, Pappos, Palladas, Liste der Patriarchen von Alexandria, Patriarch von Alexandrien, Meletios II., Ailios Theon, Agatho von Alexandria, Marcus II., Celadion, Agrippinus, Eumenes von Alexandria, Julianus, Acoreus, Justus von Alexandria,. Online finden Sie die kostenlose Aktualisierung der Bücher. Nicht dargestellt. Auszug: Eratosthenes von Kyrene (griechisch ; * zwischen 276 und 273 v. Chr. in Kyrene; † um 194 v. Chr. in Alexandria) war ein außergewöhnlich vielseitiger griechischer Gelehrter in der Blütezeit der hellenistischen Wissenschaften. Er betätigte sich als Mathematiker, Geograph, Astronom, Historiker, Philologe, Philosoph und Dichter. Im Auftrag der ägyptischen Könige aus der Dynastie der Ptolemäer leitete er rund ein halbes Jahrhundert lang die Bibliothek von Alexandria, die bedeutendste Bibliothek der Antike. Mit ihrer hervorragenden Ausstattung bot ihm die Bibliothek ausgezeichnete Arbeitsbedingungen. Berühmt ist er vor allem als Begründer der wissenschaftlichen Geographie. Seine auf sorgfältigen Messungen beruhende Bestimmung des Erdumfangs gehört zu den bekanntesten wissenschaftlichen Leistungen des Altertums. Neben der Forschungstätigkeit gehörte das Sammeln und Ordnen von bereits vorhandenem Wissensstoff zu seinen Hauptanliegen. Von seinen zahlreichen verlorenen Werken ist nur ein winziger Bruchteil aus Zitaten und Berichten späterer Autore...http://booksllc.net/?l=de&id=16498 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Macmillan Reference USA Science Library: Mathematics, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 310 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Explores the functions of math in daily life, as well as its role as a tool for measurement, data analysis, and technological development. This illustrated set also explains basic concepts of math and geometry, and provides information on historical milestones, notable mathematicians, and today's career choices. ... Read more

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Chapters: Theodosius I, Hypatia, Arcadius, Cyril of Alexandria, Jovian, Persecution of Religion in Ancient Rome, Christian Debate on Persecution and Toleration, Porphyry of Gaza, Epiphanius of Salamis, Pope Theophilus of Alexandria, Maternus Cynegius, Neoplatonic Academy, Persecution of Paganism Under Theodosius I, Persecution of Paganism Under Justinian I. Source: Wikipedia. Pages: 130. Not illustrated. Free updates online. Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Excerpt: As the Roman Republic, and later the Roman empire, expanded, it came to include people from a variety of cultures, and religions. The worship of an ever increasing number of deities was tolerated and accepted. The government, and the Romans in general, tended to be tolerant towards most religions and cults. however some religions were persecuted for political reasons rather than dogmatic zeal, and other rites banned which involved human sacrifice. In the Christian era the Church came to accept it was the Emperor's duty to use secular power to enforce religious unity, anyone within the church who did not subscribe to Catholic Christianity was seen as a threat to the dominance and purity of "the one true faith" and they saw it as their right to defend this by all means at their disposal. Druids were seen as essentially non-Roman: a prescript of Augustus forbade Roman citizens to practice "druidical" rites. Pliny reports that under Tiberius the druids were suppressed along with diviners and physicians by a decree of the Senate, and Claudius forbade their rites completely in AD 54. Druids were alleged to practice human sacrifice, a practice abhorrent to the Romans. Pliny the Elder (23 AD - 79 AD) wrote It is beyond calculation how great is the debt owed to the Romans, who swept away the monstrous rites, in which to kill a man was the highest religious duty and f...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=2583955 ... Read more

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This digital document is an article from Encyclopedia of Philosophy, brought to you by Gale®, a part of Cengage Learning, a world leader in e-research and educational publishing for libraries, schools and businesses.The length of the article is 896 words.The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase.You can view it with any web browser.Explores major marketing and advertising campaigns from 1999-2006. Entries profile recent print, radio, television, billboard and Internet campaigns. Each essay discusses the historical context of the campaign, the target market, the competition, marketing strategy, and the outcome. ... Read more

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Set in AD 412 Alexandria, Egypt and based on historical events, this story of ambition, love and political murder brings to life colorful characters and an exotic time and place.SELENE is bright, impulsive, stubborn, and a little spoiled by her father, a city councilor.Since her mother’s death, she longs to forgo the privileges of her class to become a physician—an impossible dream for rich Christian girls who never engage in a profession.But Selene perseveres and gains a powerful champion—HYPATIA, the renowned mathematician and Lady Philosopher of Alexandria.

The old Christian Patriarch dies and the city splits in support of two candidates. After days of rioting, the Patriarch’s nephew CYRIL, is proclaimed Patriarch and sets about consolidating the Christian sects and purging Alexandria of pagans and Jews.ORESTES, the new Augustal Prefect, struggles to keep the peace and also seeks the advice of Hypatia.He finds her a woman of enormous personal charm and astute political insight and places her first among his advisors, to the humiliation of the new Patriarch.These events set the stage for a contest of wills between Church and Empire.

Selene struggles in her new life.Under Hypatia's guidance, she takes classes and apprentices in medicine.She gives up security and the love a young man for the danger of poor neighborhoods and the hostility of her classmates.It's not long before Selene is unwittingly drawn into the deadly rivalry between Cyril and Orestes.She comes of age amidst riot, plague and political intrigue but will Selene survive the consequences of her own ambitions and impulsive actions?


PRAISE FOR Selene of Alexandria:

"Readers will be captivated. Fans of Gillian Bradshaw’s classic The Beacon at Alexandria may especially enjoy Selene and find a promising new historical novelist who shares the same gift for wonderfully researched, vividly evoked, good old-fashioned storytelling."-The Historical Novel Society

"Selene of Alexandria is pure fiction magic…I couldn't put this book down. I love the way Justice mixed historic facts with her fictional character's lives, dreams, loves, and aspirations.Selene of Alexandria made me laugh and cry, hope and despair. I can't wait to see what else Faith L. Justice has in store for us." –Story Circle Book Reviews

"I am enthralled with the work of this author… [She writes] with beauty, brilliance, and brutal honesty. Run to the bookstore and buy this for yourself." –BookPleasures.com

"The author has weaved a brilliant tale that brings to life this fascinating era, complete with never-to-be-forgotten characters, unrequited love, and the desire of one woman to overcome adversity.It is a story that picks up momentum with each page until it reaches a very explosive ending. Highly recommended." -Women and History

"The characters are well-drawn, the plot propels us forward, and the writing carries us easily throughout the story. Even the antagonist comes across as a fully fleshed out person. The level of authenticity is remarkable. No doubt, Faith has done her homework. I recommend Selene of Alexandria." -Historical Novel Review

"I couldn't put it down. Or if I did, it was under extreme protest. I took my reader with me everywhere, pulling it out to read a few more sentences even when I knew I would only have a few spare moments. I needed to know what happened. And there were a few times in the book I teared up because I was so into the story. I'm quite the history nerd...but I honestly think this book will appeal to anyone and everyone." - Novel Addiction

"Selene of Alexandria is an entertaining and enlightening novel of the classical era, and a fine read through and through." –The Midwest Book Review
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Customer Reviews (10)

Strong-willed women make for great stories.
This book has everything... It was such a great story.

I LOVED Selene, she was such a great character. I'm really finding it hard to describe her. There were times when she was so strong, emotionally, and yet other times when she would let her emotions take over. She was so strong-willed and yet still understood her place in her world and did as she was supposed to do. I guess the best way I can think to describe her would be, she was a real woman.

I was very attached to Selene. She was just so real. While the story focused around Selene there were so many other things that were going on around her. Even when the story didn't focus on Selene she always managed to get herself right there in the middle of what was going on. There were times when I wanted to knock some sense into her, but I knew that she could handle whatever situations she was placed in.

The ending was great. While not everyone had a happy ending it was very realistic. There were a few unexpected twists that really added to the tension of the story, but they made for great reading.

The story was so great, it had everything. It was exciting, endearing, suspenseful, and emotional. There was a very tense felling around everything. The fight for power in the city, the fight for Selene to get what she wanted out of life, the fight of religion in the city. Everything was marked with tension.

This one did take me a while to read. I spent many hours with Selene, Hypatia, Phillip, Rebecca, and Orestes. I'm not sure why it took so long for me to read it, as it was a fairly fast-paced story.

Despite the time it took me to finish it was well worth the read. It was beautifully written, it was an intelligent story, and it was easy to escape into Selene's world.

Selene of Alexandria
Selene of Alexandria by Faith L. Justice has already received many excellent reviews and I must say that they are all very well-deserved.Ms. Justice has written a superb piece of historical fiction.The amount of research she did to create this story is phenomenal.History has never been a subject that I preferred to study, but if I could have gone to particular eras via books like this it would have been a much-preferred journey.Selene of Alexandria is a wonderful introduction to the 5th Century AD.Ms. Justice spent seventeen years of her life researching the history of that time period and it is very evident within her book.She takes readers there with much detail about the daily living and happenings of the times.Readers will truly get a sense of the time when Selene (fictional character) lived among the other characters, which are based on historical figures.

The story of Selene introduces us to a young woman who is gifted and strong-willed.She finds it within her heart to want to become a physician but she needs to fight against the restrictions of her class, beginning with her father, to be able to make that happen.Selene was a member of the Christian upper class and their women were expected to live a life of leisure and becoming a physician would be out of the question. Selene figures out a way to study under the historical figure of Hypatia, a philosopher. While this struggle is going on in Selene's life, the city is in a battle with the Christians fighting against the Jews and pagans.This book is filled with intensity and readers will find themselves on the edge of their chairs and holding their breath as many events occur.Ms. Justice doesn't just tell us about this time period, she takes us there.This book will capture readers to the point of not wanting to put it down, and being disappointed when it comes to an end.I highly recommend this book to readers of historical fiction (and to readers who aren't history buffs, but want to learn about history in an entertaining way!)

I just love an uppity young woman.
In Selene of Alexandria, the title character is a young woman who's ahead of her time.Instead of getting married and settling down to the duties of home and hearth, as was customary for women of her time, Selene wants to be a physician.(I think that qualifies her as "uppity"!)As her story unfolds, we not only get to know her, but other people in her life, both real and fictional.I just love female characters who don't want to fit into the nice neat little box that society prescribes for them, and Selene is no exception.As others have said, it did take a little bit for me to really be drawn in to the book, but once I was hooked, I could hardly put it down.Other characters were well-written and had their own stories to tell - they didn't just serve as a backdrop for Selene's life.The historical detail was interesting to me, and I found the story very engaging.

Medical and Philosophical Teachings, Romance, Witchcraft Accusations and Mob Violence in the 410s AD of Roman Alexandria
While most of us are familiar with the early Egyptian historical periods, during the reign of the Pharos, Alexander, Cleopatra, Caesar, Mark Anthony and others, little is known about a Greek lady philosopher named Hypatia. Faith Justice has chosen to pen a historical fiction novel during Hypatia's life and times in Alexandria during the 410s AD. By then although Christianity had become the official religion of the Roman Empire, a significant populace of other believers, Jews and pagans, existed in Egypt. The civilian rule was administered by the Constantinople appointed Prefect (governor), while the Patriarch (bishop) presided over the Christian church affairs.

This heart-wrenching story is narrated through the eyes of a young girl, Selene, born to a land-owning Christian family. Her mother having died, she is brought up by her ailing father and an elder brother, although they are busy in business and other duties. A second brother, her childhood playmate, joins the army and leaves for service overseas. Hence, Selene, having to grow up on her own, develops an independent mind. Even though it was most uncharacteristic for girls of her time, she decides to become a physician. Her desire blossoms when she witnesses the death of her beloved mother and decides to "thwart death any way she could." She shears her hair, disguises herself as a boy and with the help of her brother attends Lady Hypatia's school. Hypatia is taken in by Selene's courage and helps her--with some assistance from the recently appointed Prefect--to overcome her father's vehement objections to embark on a medical education. Herein lays Justice's skillfulness in narrating the story. We are able to observe the lady philosopher through the trials and tribulations and romance that Selene encounters.

Although a movie, "Agora," on Hypatia's life was made in 2009, one of the reviewers on its debut at the Cannes Film Festival [1] had remarked that a problem with the movie is that it struggles to properly develop the romantic side of the story, Justice's novel has no such "problem." While, keeping with the historical facts, Hypatia remains virginal, there is no dearth of romance in the story. Justice has skillfully woven three love-stories into the plot to add much interest to make the novel into a historical romance epic.

Readers' interest will also be maintained by all the intricate details of the 5th Century life in Alexandria, the surroundings, buildings, people's clothing, food and everything that will perk our imagination and enable us to walk and sit beside the characters. The fruits of the research that Justice began in 1980 show amply. For instance when describing the top of the sarcophagus of her girl-friend's coffin--that another less careful writer may have simply referred to as a `cover'--Justice writes: "...The lid standing on end next to the coffin was covered with Christian symbols - an ankh, a lamb in a meadow - mixed with traditional Egyptian death scenes. The Sky Goddess spread her wings over the world in protection while an ibis speared fish in the Mother Nile ..." Such evocative writing would surely make the cover appear before our eyes.

Selene puts her medical knowledge to good use on several occasions. She brings her father back to life after a severe heart-attack and administers first aid to victims of the religious riots. It was her timely cesarean on her girl-friend--who had died moments earlier during child birth--that saves the baby. But it gets her in trouble with the jealous physician, who complains to the Patriarch of Selene's unqualified surgery. Selene gets dragged first through a `malpractice' trial and then a charge of witchcraft. The Patriarch, who had been systematically engaged in having his people riot and expel the Jews and pagans from the city, takes this opportunity to excite the inhabitants against the aging Lady Hypatia. Selene is caught in the conflict between the fanatical Patriarch and the Roman authoritarian Prefect, who develops a soft corner in his heart for her. While historians have been searching, over the centuries, for justifications for Hypatia's unpopularity with the Christian church, through skillful plot twists, Justice has provided us a plausible reason for that unspeakable event conducted by an unruly mob.

Selene of Alexandria, at 346 pages it a moderate length book that usually requires a few sittings to complete, but Selene's last 100 or so pages are so engrossing that they will definitely make one read those to finish, regardless of the lateness of the hour. Having closed the book, it's the kind of novel that lingers for quite some time in one's mind. Finally, Justice has introduced another charming aspect of the novel. Readers and book club members would likely spend many thoughtful hours debating its ending.

Reviewed By: Waheed Rabbani, [...]

First Class Historical Fiction
In "Selene of Alexandria," Faith L. Justice does an impressive job of weaving the fictional story of a young woman's coming of age around an interesting historical backdrop. She allows the historical events to shape and guide her titular character while, at the same time, using Selene's story to put a very personal, live human touch on the historical characters and events.

The best historical fiction is written around instances of intense conflict, and that's precisely what Justice has done with "Selene" -- writing a story set in a Hellenized Egyptian city just as the Christians are poised to crush and stamp out dissenters, not only from their own ranks, but also in the form of Jews and pagans. This is a period fraught with danger and excitement from all corners, and Justice captures the mood and tensions well.

"Selene" also showcases another aspect shared by the best of the historical fiction genre. In the book, Justice does not allow the history to overshadow the fiction, not does she sacrifice the historical accuracy of her portrayal to make the writing easier. She walks that fine line well, pulling the reader into an engrossing story, but not giving him any reason to be shocked out of the historical world. I found myself quite incapable of putting aside the novel, always opting for "one more chapter" before going to bed only to find myself still reading hours later. However, at the end, I looked back and could not recall a single instant where I felt the story to be ahistorical.

The story in "Selene of Alexandria" is great, and the writing is even better. I wholeheartedly recommend this book to any fans of historical fiction and to fans of a good read. ... Read more

Product Description
In the four hundred and thirteenth year of the Christian Erasome three hundred miles above Alexandriathe young monk Philammon was sitting on the edge of a low range of inland cliffscrested with drifting sand. ... Read more

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The 18th century was a wealth of knowledge, exploration and rapidly growing technology and expanding record-keeping made possible by advances in the printing press. In its determination to preserve the century of revolution, Gale initiated a revolution of its own: digitization of epic proportions to preserve these invaluable works in the largest archive of its kind. Now for the first time these high-quality digital copies of original 18th century manuscripts are available in print, making them highly accessible to libraries, undergraduate students, and independent scholars.
The Age of Enlightenment profoundly enriched religious and philosophical understanding and continues to influence present-day thinking. Works collected here include masterpieces by David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, as well as religious sermons and moral debates on the issues of the day, such as the slave trade. The Age of Reason saw conflict between Protestantism and Catholicism transformed into one between faith and logic -- a debate that continues in the twenty-first century.
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The below data was compiled from various identification fields in the bibliographic record of this title. This data is provided as an additional tool in helping to insure edition identification:
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British Library

T036382

With a half-title.

London : printed for T. Bickerton, 1721. [4],35,[1]p. ; 8° ... Read more

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Purchase includes a free trial membership in the publisher's book club where you can select from more than a million books without charge. Chapters: Hypatia, Proclus, Ammonius Hermiae, Hierocles of Alexandria, Ambrosius Theodosius Macrobius, Peter the Iberian, Syrianus, Dignāga, Plutarch of Athens, Domninus of Larissa, Huiyuan, Asclepiodotus of Alexandria, Marinus of Neapolis, Aeneas of Gaza, Isidore of Alexandria, Aedesia, Hegias, Hermias, Asclepigenia, Agapius, Zenodotus, Heliodorus of Alexandria, Olympiodorus the Elder, David Anhaght, Hierius. Source: Wikipedia. Free updates online. Not illustrated. Excerpt: Hypatia (Greek: , Hypatía, pronounced in English; born between AD 350 and 370; died March 415) was a Greek scholar from Alexandria, Egypt, considered the first notable woman in mathematics, who also taught philosophy and astronomy. She lived in Roman Egypt, and was killed by a Christian mob who falsely blamed her for religious turmoil. Some suggest that her murder marked the end of what is traditionally known as Classical antiquity, although others such as Christian Wildberg observe that Hellenistic philosophy continued to flourish until the age of Justinian in the sixth century. A Neoplatonist philosopher, she belonged to the mathematical tradition of the Academy of Athens represented by Eudoxus of Cnidus; she followed the school of the 3rd century thinker Plotinus, discouraging empirical enquiry and encouraging logical and mathematical studies. The name Hypatia derives from the adjective , the feminine form of (upatos), meaning "highest, uppermost, supremest". Hypatia was the daughter of Theon, who was her teacher and the last known mathematician associated with the Museum of Alexandria. She traveled to both Athens and Italy to study, before becoming head of the Platonist school at Alexandria in approximately 400. According to the 10th century Byzantine encyclopedia the Suda, she worked as teacher of philosophy, teach...More: http://booksllc.net/?id=38375 ... Read more