Subject: Re: [HM] Mathematics as Theater
From: Ed Sandifer (SANDIFER@WCSUB.CTSTATEU.EDU)
Date: Wed May 03 2000 - 08:33:40 EDT
There are also the plays of Hroswitha of Gandersham, also spelled "Roswitha",
among other ways.
She wrote about 800 AD. One of her plays describes Euclidean geometry and the
music of the spheres. She regards a martyrdom or an enclosure in a convent for
a lifetime of asceticism and devotion as a happy ending.
As history, her words suggest that some women in 9th Century Europe knew some
science and mathematics, and not a lot of other evidence suggesting this
survives.
An English translation of her plays was published about the 1960's, using the
"Roswitha" spelling in its title. I, personally, found them entertaining and
informative, and I would not hesitate to recommend them to anybody who shows
even a little interest.
Ed Sandifer
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