(Dr. Curie leads you into a large room where several women are seated listening to a female lecturer)

“These are the women of the school of Pythagoras.  They are from Greece during the late 6^th and early 5^th centuries B.C.E.  They are currently listening to a lecture by Theano, the wife of Pythagoras.   Theano is a philosopher, mathematician and physician.  Come, I’ll introduce you.”

“Pardon me for interrupting, Theano, but I was wondering if you could introduce yourself and your students.”

“Hello, Marie.  I’d be honored.  My name is Theano.  Some say I was born in Crete, while others say Crotona, but that is not important.  I married Pythagoras and studied at his school.  I became one of the most renowned Pythagoreans (as we were called) of antiquity.  We had a number of children, after the death of my husband, my sons and I ran his school to continue his traditions.”

“What did you teach at your school, Theano?”

“Well, Marie, normally we, the Pythagoreans, do not discuss what goes on in our schools.  We are a very secretive society, and only a handful of people have access to our information.  But, since we’ve technically been dead for over 2,000 years, I guess I could talk about it.  We continued to teach the ethical, mathematical and philosophical ideas of my husband.  In other words, we explored the ideas of the mathematics of nature.”

“Theano, in my time we tend to look at mathematics in a very different way.  Can you explain what the mathematics of nature is?”

“I could, but I think I shall have one of my students explain it.  Her name is Arignote, and she is my daughter.  She has summed up our philosophy beautifully.  Arignote, can you give us your statements and expand upon it, please?”

“Yes, Mother.  My name is Arignote of Samos.  I once wrote that ‘the eternal essence of numbers is the most providential cause of the whole heaven, earth, and the region in between.  Likewise it is the root of the continued existence of the gods and demons, as well as that of divine men.[1]’  In simpler terms, we believe that everything in existence is related to mathematics, and through mathematics, everything can be predicted or measured.”

“Theano, is it true that your school accepted men and women equally?”

“Certainly!  Although there were far more men at the school than there were women, Pythagoras allowed both sexes without any pre-conceived notions.”

 

“And is it true that your teachings were not only philosophic in nature, but religious as well?”

“Poor Marie.  I forget the times in which you grew up.  For us, religion and science are inseparable.  One does not influence the other, they both merely are.  But, yes, we taught religious principles at the school, such as the reincarnation of the soul.  In fact, one of my own personal works was entitled On Piety.[2]  In it, I clarified one of my husband’s statements when I explained that he did not mean that numbers generated bodies, but that bodies imitate numbers.” 

“I see.  Can you introduce us to some of the other female Pythagoreans you have here and tell us a little about them and their works?”

“I would be happy to.  But you must understand that given the secretive nature of our society that many of these women, including myself, published works that would have been credited to Pythagoras himself.  So, you may not know many of them.”

“You have met one of my daughters, Arignote, already.  Here are two of my other daughters: 

First is Myia.  She wrote on the nourishment of children according to moderation, balance and harmony.

Next is Damo.  Pythagoras gave his manuscripts to her for safekeeping, and charged her with keeping them private after his death.  She did so, believing that poverty and obedience to her father’s wishes were more valuable than gold.[3]”

“This is Aesara of Lucania.  She composed a brilliant work entitled Book on Human Nature.  In it, she described the soul as consisting of three parts: mind, ‘spiritedness,’ and desire, with the principal of harmonia governing the functioning of the parts.[4]  Harmonia is simply our idea of everything being in the correct proportion."

“Next is Perictione.  She is often confused with another woman of the same name, but our Perictione set forth the idea of harmonia as the normative principle for a virtuous woman.”

“Here we have Melissa.  She once admonished an associate for a poor fashion choice.  She told her that the only color red which should be worn is that which comes from modesty, that is, blushing.[5]”

“And lastly, we have Abrotelia and Cleachma.  Unfortunately, none of their works have survived, so you would not know very much about them.”

“Theano, we thank you for your time.”

“Anytime, Marie.  And if you ever care to sit in one of my lectures, you are welcome to, Nobel prizes and all.”

“That’s very kind, thank you.”

(Dr. Curie leads you back to her office at the University of Paris)

 

 

 

Introduction    The Pythagorean Women     Trotula of Salerno     Maria Cunitz     Conclusion

You can either:
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Bibliography

Ogilvie, Marilyn and Harvey, Joy, eds., The Biographical Dictionary of Women in Science.  New York: Routledge, 2000.

Aesara of Lucania, Fragment from “Book on Human Nature,” Vicki Lynn Harper, trans. in Mary Ellen Waite, Ancient Women Philosophers, 600B.C. – 500 A.D.  Dordrecht: Kluwer, 1987.

Laertius, Diogenes, “The Lives and Opinions of Eminent Philosophers,” in Kathleen Wider, Women Philosophers in the Ancient Greek World: Donning the Mantle in Hypatia, vol 1., no. 1, Spring 1986, 21-62.