A historical drama set in Roman Egypt, concerning a slave who turns to the rising tide of Christianity in the hope of pursuing freedom while falling in love with his mistress, the philosophy and mathematics professor Hypatia of Alexandria.
Although not any of Hipatia works remains, it is known that she was an exceptional astronomer, well-known for the mathematical study of conical curves. One thousand, two hundred years later, in the 17-th century, astronomer Johannes Kepler described that one of those curves, the ellipse, governs the movement of the planets.
– Ever since Plato, all of them – Aristarchus, Hipparchus, Ptolemy — they have all, all, all tried to reconcile their observations with circular orbits. But what if another shape is hiding in the heavens?
– Another shape? Lady, there is no shape more pure than the circle; you taught us that.
– I know, I know, but suppose – just suppose! – the purity of the circle has blinded us from seeing anything beyond it! I must begin all over with new eyes. I must rethink everything!
If only I could fathom this a little more. And get a little closer the response, I then… I enough go to grave, happy.