What commentaries did Theon and Hypatia of Alexandria write?

Theon of Alexandria edited Euclid's Elements and wrote commentaries on works by Euclid and Ptolemy. His daughter Hypatia wrote a commentary on Diophantus's Arithmetica and another on Apollonius of Perga's treatise on conic sections. Modern scholars also believe Hypatia may have edited Ptolemy's Almagest alongside her father.

What we know

• Theon of Alexandria edited and arranged Euclid's Elements and wrote commentaries on works by Euclid and Ptolemy. [2]
• Hypatia wrote a commentary on Diophantus's thirteen-volume Arithmetica, which may survive in part. [3]
• Hypatia wrote a commentary on Apollonius of Perga's treatise on conic sections, which has not survived. [3]
• Many modern scholars believe Hypatia may have edited the surviving text of Ptolemy's Almagest, based on her father's commentary title. [3] · medium confidence

Still open

• It is uncertain whether Hypatia's commentary on Diophantus's Arithmetica survives entirely or only in part through interpolation, and whether she edited Ptolemy's Almagest.

Where to go next

• whoWho was Hypatia of Alexandria?
• a case in pointWhat was the mathematical significance of Euclid's Elements?
• the bigger pictureHow did ancient Greek mathematics develop in Alexandria?
• how we knowWhat evidence exists for Hypatia's lost commentaries?
• what caused itWhat caused the decline of the Library of Alexandria?
• an unexpected connectionHow does Hypatia connect to a Christian saint?During the Middle Ages, Hypatia was co-opted as a symbol of Christian virtue and became part of the basis for the legend of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.

Sources

• [1]Theon of Alexandria (Wikidata Q354384) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Theon of Alexandria · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Hypatia · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Theon of Smyrna · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Library of Alexandria · CC BY-SA 4.0

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8. /What commentaries did Theon and Hypatia of Alexandria write?