The Ostracon Used to Strike a Fatal Blow on Hypatia
415 C.E.
·······
L O T 7
-
A fragment of roof tile (tegula) from the Kaisarion, a former pagan temple and center of the Roman imperial cult in Alexandria. The Ostracon is made of fired clay and likely inscribed at a later time.
-
Some writing legible with minor splitting across the face, chips and cracks mostly along the edges, no visible restoration.
-
In private collections. Last named custodian was Theodore Konstantin, 1936.
-
This ancient murder weapon was used in the attack on the Neoplatonist philosopher and mathematician, Hypatia (ca. 350 CE-415 CE). One of ancient Alexandria’s greatest thinkers, Hypatia is also among the first women to teach mathematics, astronomy, and philosophy. The Suda lexicon described her as “exceedingly beautiful and fair of form. . . in speech articulate and logical, in her actions prudent and public-spirited.”
Hypatia was killed during Lent, at the hands of a mob led by Peter the Lector. Her body was torn into pieces and burned in the town square shortly thereafter.
lot 7
The Ostracon Used to Strike a Fatal Blow on Hypatia