Under the rule of the Roman Empire, Alexandria in Egypt was one of the most important cities in the world at that time, and it was an important economic, political and academic town. Here, Hypatia, the daughter of an academic noble family, held a teaching position in the academy, teaching astronomy and mathematics to the children of the noble family. However, when religion becomes an instrument of political struggle, female identity makes her an object of attack. In the end, she was stoned to death in the former library of Alexandria on the charge of a "pagan witch".
When I first read it, I thought it was a love story between a noble daughter and a loyal dog slave. As the story progresses, you will find that love is actually the smallest part.
(1) Status of women
In the era of the ancient Roman Empire, citizens had one and only one type of "male nobility". In such a society, Hypatia can become a member of the lecturer at the academy, not worry about being married off, and devote herself to research. Not only at that time, but now it seems to be a luxurious growing environment. It is not only the favor and tolerance of the dean's father, but also the protection and blessing of the academic ivory tower. The high-pillared dome provided Hypatia with room to unleash her talents, the papyrus scrolls dominated her emotions and life, and she became a distinctive Roman woman and a quintessential scholar.
In the film, Orestes, a young and vigorous student, once confessed to Hypatia. After being rejected, although he was unwilling, when he became the admiral, he did not forcibly marry or confide his heart again. He guarded the bottom line of etiquette, or sponsored or supported Hypatia's experiments, protected his former teachers from outside political disturbances, visited and talked as friends, but never mentioned his heart and admiration again.
For Hypatia, Orestes rejected the threats of his political opponents in front of everyone, and was injured. However, the situation was unforgiving, and he finally chose to compromise, but he still failed to keep Hypatia in the end.
Compared with the Admiral who is still fighting for the last fight, Hypatia has already figured out the enemy's routine: the negotiation meetings and the event invitations have made Orestes lose his right to speak. Facts, too. She knew the political and social predicament she was about to face. In addition to being sad and disappointed, she taught the students who had graduated for many years for the last time, calmly refused the protection of the soldiers, and went to her own end.
In movies, Hypatia is not alone in places such as squares and theaters. In history, the status of noble women in the ancient Roman Empire was sometimes even higher than that of male citizens. The opposition did not object to Hypatia's academic research or behavior at the beginning, but for political purposes, they proposed that women should be married to their husbands and children. This is also a legacy.
(2) Academic significance
In the movie, there is a scene that is very admirable.
When the college was besieged by thugs, scholars and students sat on the grand staircase at night to rest. Several people looked up at the sky, remembered the classroom before the riot, and began to discuss the correctness of Ptolemy's heliocentric theory.
This should have been a breezy and relaxing night, but outside the door were thugs who wanted to kill quickly. After an exhausting day, when they were resting, what most people thought and discussed was not food. Weapons, not to support retreat, but optical illusions caused by the movement of the planet, the regularity of the movement of objects. At that moment, it's hard not to laugh for their truth, and it's hard not to cry for their deviousness.
The pursuit of knowledge and truth is the most important belief left by the Greco-Roman culture to future generations. And this touch suffered the heaviest blow from reality the next morning, making the destruction of the Library of Alexandria a matter of course political justice.
The film uses nearly 3 minutes of close-up, bird's-eye view, wide-angle and fast-forward to show the rioters' smashing, smashing and looting of the library. Later, the library is used as a place for raising poultry and livestock. From warm colors to cool colors, from people coming and going to cattle and chickens, the changes before and after the library are the epitome of academics in the face of force: fragile and irreversible.
On the other hand, compared with the academics manipulated and destroyed by political means, the Chinese history of burning books and cultivating scholars and self-immolation with books seems to be much more concise and straightforward.
From Orestes (admiral), Davus (slaves) to Hypatia, from academies, libraries to ruins, academics and women are always chasing the tree and unable to protect themselves when facing politics and reality. In the universe with the earth as the unit, the emperors, generals, powers and interests can be proved by the same reason.
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