Modern drawing of Aglaonice in the style of an ancient Attic Greek red-figure pyxis
Alzinous, 2015. Aglaonice. Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=45816395
Aglaonice, also called Aganice, was a Greek astronomer who lived sometime around 200 BCE in Thessaly. She is thought to be one of the first women to study astronomy. Little is known about Aglaonice’s life apart from mentions of her in the writings of the scholars Plutarch and Apollonius of Rhodes.
Aglaonice was known as a sorceress for her ability to make the moon “disappear.” This was because she understood the phenomenon of lunar eclipses and was able to predict their occurrence. Most modern lunar eclipses only cause the moon to dim and change color, but there have been a few examples of eclipses so dark that the moon has seemed to vanish. However, according to the writings of several ancient scholars, it appears that there may have been a period of darker eclipses coinciding with the life of Aglaonice, which could have been caused by solar cycles. These dark lunar eclipses allowed Aglaonice to use her knowledge of lunar eclipse timings to put on performances of “drawing down” the moon.
Hubbard, E. (1908). Hypatia [Drawing]. Encyclopædia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Hypatia#/media/1/279463/17143
A later and more well-known Greek astronomer was Hypatia, a mathematician, astronomer, and philosopher who lived in Alexandria during the 4th and 5th centuries CE. Hypatia, the daughter of the mathematician and astronomer Theon, was born around 355 CE. Theon is known for being one of the last members of the Alexandrian Museum, a research institute built in the 3rd century BCE that included the famous Library of Alexandria. He worked to preserve Greek mathematical and astronomical knowledge and also wrote extensively on those topics. Theon educated his daughter in astronomy and mathematics, and she chose to follow in his footsteps as a scholar.
Hypatia wrote commentaries on several Greek mathematical and astronomical works, updating them and helping to clarify the subject matter. While her commentaries have not survived to the present day, they influenced the works of future mathematicians and astronomers. Hypatia was also well known as a teacher. She had many loyal students and her public lectures on philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy drew large audiences. Her lectures helped to establish her as one of the leading mathematicians and astronomers of her time.
During Hypatia’s lifetime, Alexandria was in a very turbulent period of conflict between various religious groups: Christians, Jews, and pagans. This conflict would lead to Hypatia’s death. Hypatia was viewed as a prominent pagan because she publically taught about her religious philosophy, Neoplatonism. This made her an easy target for a mob of Christian extremists led by Peter the Lector who brutally murdered Hypatia in 415. Her murder made Hypatia a martyr to later feminists and academics.
Though these women lived thousands of years ago, their legacies continue to live on, paving the way for many modern female scientists.
About the Author
Marcella is a Senior at Northwood High School who is interested in a career as a Conservation Biologist. She enjoys reading, playing the piano, and being outside.
Sources:
Bicknell, P. (1983). The Witch Aglaonice And Dark Lunar Eclipses in the Second and First
Centuries BC. Journal of the British Astronomical Association, 93(4), 160-163. https://articles.adsabs.harvard.edu/pdf/1983JBAA...93..160B
Aglaonice. (n.d.). Brooklyn Museum. ‘
Deakin, M. (2023, February 25). Hypatia. Encyclopedia Britannica.
Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2022, December 15). Alexandrian Museum.
Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Alexandrian-Museum
Zielinski, S. (2010, March 14). Hypatia, Ancient Alexandria’s Great Female Scholar.
Smithsonian Magazine. https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/hypatia-ancient- alexandrias-great-female-scholar-10942888/
Hilfrank, E. (2021, February 25). Hypatia. National Geographic Kids.
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