Origins & Early Life

Theon of Alexandria (; Ancient Greek: Θέων ὁ Ἀλεξανδρεύς; c. AD 335 – c. 405) was a Greek scholar and mathematician who lived in Alexandria, Egypt. He edited and arranged Euclid's Elements and wrote commentaries on works by Euclid and Ptolemy.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

His daughter, Hypatia, also won fame as a mathematician. Little is known about Theon's life. He made predictions and observations of solar and lunar eclipses in 364, which show he was active at that time, and he is said to have lived during the reign of Theodosius I (379–395). The Suda, a tenth-century Byzantine encyclopedia, calls Theon a "man of the Mouseion". However, both the Library of Alexandria and the original Mouseion saw decline and eventually closed in the third century AD and according to classical historian Edward J.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

Watts, Theon was probably the head of a school called the "Mouseion", which was named in emulation of the Hellenistic Mouseion that had once included the Library of Alexandria, but which had little other connection to it. Theon's school was exclusive, highly prestigious, and doctrinally conservative. Neither Theon nor his daughter Hypatia seems to have had any connections to the militant Iamblichean Neoplatonists...

Contemporary Figures & Related Historical Timelines

• Gregory of Nyssa — Contemporary (Born in 335) (335): A foundational 4th-century theologian, bishop, and scholar of the Trinity.
• Pope Sylvester I — Contemporary (Died in 335) (335): Bishop of Rome during a transformative era for the Western Church.
• Samudragupta — Contemporary (Born in 335) (335): Second Emperor of the Gupta Empire, known for vast military conquests in ancient India.
• Alaric I — Contemporary (Born in 400) (400): Founder of the Visigothic Kingdom, known for the Sack of Rome in 410 AD.
• Chandragupta II — Contemporary (Born in 400) (400): Gupta Emperor who expanded the empire to its zenith, defeating Sassanids and Kshatrapas.
• Lushan Huiyuan — Contemporary figure (Born in 334) (334): Founding figure of Pure Land Buddhism, known for the White Lotus Society.
• Arius — Contemporary figure (Died in 336) (336): Cyrenaic presbyter whose teachings initiated the Arian controversy regarding the nature of Christ.
• Constantine the Great — Contemporary figure (Died in 337) (337): Roman Emperor who legalized Christianity and founded Constantinople.
• Fu Jian (337–385) — Contemporary figure (Born in 338) (338): Heavenly King of Great Qin, who briefly unified Northern China before his downfall.
• Ambrose — Contemporary figure (Born in 339) (339): Influential Christian theologian, statesman, and Bishop of Milan in the 4th century.
• 335 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 335
• 400 Historical Timeline & Archive — Explore world events and figures from 400