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by Tiago Lameiras (Author)
Over the last millennium and a half, the very name of Hypatia of Alexandria has become synonymous with elements such as inspiration, martyrdom, and, above all, heroism, which eventually led to the transformation of her memory into what is likely one of the first, if not the main symbol of Feminism today.However, the historical context the daughter of Theon lived in, he who was the last Director of the Neoplatonic School, has a great deal more to it than the eye can see, for this was a time of turmoil and constant rioting in an urban center that had once been the capital of knowledge of the West, witness to rival forces whose beliefs, either religious or political, had to forcibly take full control of the formerly prosperous city by any means necessary, including genocidal persecution and massacre.The fact extermination continues to be used as a way of discouraging democratic opposition still today only shows us how little we have learned from the multiple victims who sacrificed their lives across the history of Humanity, which ultimately begs questions such as these: have Hypatia and other human beings died in vain? Was it ever legitimate to kill another whenever discord rose in the horizon? And what of holding on to power with the purpose of ruling a handful of equals as if they were of a lesser sort, perhaps alleging divine incumbency for doing so?It does not take a crowning, an election, a coup, or even the will to become a popular leader capable of bringing everyone together. Hypatia was but one of many whose arguments were much too logical to be refuted, and that is what rattles tyrants the most. Their only solution? Silencing, but merely temporary, for no one can smother a powerful legacy forever.
