Clasificación geográfica

Europa > Italia

Movimientos socio-culturales

Antigüedad > Cultura griega > Época arcaica

Grupos por ámbito de dedicación

Científicas > Matemáticas

Humanísticas > Pensadoras / Intelectuales

Humanísticas > Filósofas

Educadoras > Maestras

Educadoras

Divulgadoras / Promotoras culturales > Divulgadoras de ciencia

Personaje
Retrato

Theano of Crotone

Crotona 546 a.e.c. | Desconocido c. 500 a.e.c.

Periodo de actividad: Desde 530 a.C. hasta 500 a.C.

Clasificación geográfica: Europa > Italia

Movimientos socio-culturales

Antigüedad > Cultura griega > Época arcaica

Grupos por ámbito de dedicación

Científicas > Matemáticas

Humanísticas > Pensadoras / Intelectuales

Humanísticas > Filósofas

Educadoras > Maestras

Educadoras

Divulgadoras / Promotoras culturales > Divulgadoras de ciencia

Contexto de creación femenina

At the time of Theano, Crotone was a colony of Magna Graecia.   

Enheduanna (25th century BC) was a predecessor of Theano of Crotone, considered the first recorded woman in the history of science and the first to sign her work, in cuneiform script. The Egyptian physician Peseshet or the Assyrian perfume-makers, like Tapputi, paved the way for women to come.  

Some of Theano's contemporaries are other women in the Pythagorean school that were born around 500 BC, such as Damo of Crotone, Myia and Arignote of Crotone, considered to be daughters of Theano and Pythagoras by several authors. Even though there is not much information about them, some other women belonging to this group were Babelica of Argos, Beo of Argos, Chilonis, Echecratia the Philiasian, Ecellus and Ocellus Lucanus, Habrotelia of Taranto, Cleecma, Cratesiclea, Lastheneia of Arcadia, Pisirroda of Taranto, Phintys, Teadusa, Timica and Tirsenis of Sybaris.   

After Theano we can mention Aglaonice, or Aganice of Thessaly, (3rd century BC, known for her ability to predict eclipses) and Hypatia (4th century AD). 

 

 

Reseña

Theano of Crotone made important contributions to Mathematics. Being married to Pythagoras, she developed treatises about regular polyhedrons, the golden ratio theory, cosmology and medicine. After Pythagoras' death, she moved on to run her own school with her children and she travelled all around Greece to teach and extend the work started by the philosopher. She also has some writings on education. 

 

Actividades

Inglés

  • Dividing a segment into golden ratio.
    • España > Matemáticas > 1º ESO > Sentido espacial
    • España > Matemáticas > 1º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
  • Drawing an irrational number
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(A) ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(A) ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(B) ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(B) ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
  • Guardian of Mathematical Knowledge.
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Historia y evolución sociopolítica
  • How to raise children 
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 1º ESO > Continuidad del patrimonio cultural. Literatura, arte y ciencia
  • Magna Graecia
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Marco geográfico de Grecia y Roma
  • Mathematical Words
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Pervivencia de las lenguas clásicas. Lengua y léxico
  • Proportions in reality
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido algebraico
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido algebraico
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
  • The golden ratio in Greek art.
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 4º ESO > Continuidad del patrimonio cultural. Literatura, arte y ciencia
  • Women and Science in Greece
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 4º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Historia y evolución sociopolítica

Español

  • Dibujar un número irracional
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(B) ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(B) ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(A) ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(A) ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
  • Dividir un segmento en proporción áurea
    • España > Matemáticas > 1º ESO > Sentido espacial
    • España > Matemáticas > 1º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
  • El número áureo en el arte griego
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 4º ESO > Continuidad del patrimonio cultural. Literatura, arte y ciencia
  • Guardiana del saber matemático
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Historia y evolución sociopolítica
  • La Magna Grecia
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Marco geográfico de Grecia y Roma
  • Maneras de educar.
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 1º ESO > Continuidad del patrimonio cultural. Literatura, arte y ciencia
  • Mujeres y ciencia en Grecia
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 4º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Historia y evolución sociopolítica
  • Palabras matemáticas
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Pervivencia de las lenguas clásicas. Lengua y léxico
  • Proporciones en la realidad
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido algebraico
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido algebraico
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo

Valenciano

  • Dibuixar un nombre irracional
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(A) ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(A) ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(B) ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 4º(B) ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
  • Dividir un segment en proporció àuria
    • España > Matemáticas > 1º ESO > Sentido espacial
    • España > Matemáticas > 1º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
  • Dones i ciència a Grècia
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 4º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Historia y evolución sociopolítica
  • El nombre auri en l’art grec.
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 4º ESO > Continuidad del patrimonio cultural. Literatura, arte y ciencia
  • Guardiana del saber matemàtic
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Historia y evolución sociopolítica
  • La Magna Grècia
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Raíces clásicas del mundo actual. Marco geográfico de Grecia y Roma
  • Les dones a l’Antiga Grècia
    • España > Lengua Catalana y Literatura > 1º ESO > Comunicación
  • Maneres d'educar.
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 1º ESO > Continuidad del patrimonio cultural. Literatura, arte y ciencia
  • Paraules matemàtiques
    • España > Cultura Clásica > 2º ESO > Pervivencia de las lenguas clásicas. Lengua y léxico
  • Proporcions en la realitat
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 2º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido numérico
    • España > Matemáticas > 3º ESO > Sentido socioafectivo

Justificaciones

  • She developed the golden ratio theory.
  • She was a brilliant Pythagorean philosopher and mathematician.
  • She also has treatises on education.
  • She taught at the Pythagorean school and directed it, together with her children, after the death of Pythagoras.
  • One of the first Greek mathematicians.

Biografía

She was born in 546 BC, in Crotone, Magna Graecia (current Italy). Despite the controversy about whether she was Pythagoras' disciple or partner, most scholars agree that she was his wife and that they had children together, although there's a discrepancy regarding the number. 

Scholars are also certain that she was Pythagoras' student and she would later on become a teacher at his fraternity. Both men and women were accepted into Pythagoras' school, and women were heard and allowed to develop their thinking. There were up to 28 women, among students and teachers, in this school. Besides Theano, Aristoclea stood out. 

Pythagoras had to flee Samos because of Polycrates' tyranny. Milo welcomed him in Crotone. He admired his ideas and helped him found his school. Later on, he would send his daughter Theano to study with his protegé. She would then become a teacher in this school. 

Many Pythagorean beliefs came from Egyptian mythology, which had them oppose religious traditions in Greece at the time. 

After the confrontation between the cities of Crotone and Sybaris, people were disgruntled at Milo (he led the army that defeated and destroyed Sybaris) and Pythagoras, whose school had managed to seize the government of the city. Therefore, they set his school on fire. Pythagoras and many of his disciples died on the fire. Theano and her children managed to escape and were fundamental to the survival and expansion of Pythagoras' teachings. They travelled around Greece and Egypt, where they researched and made progress not only on mathematics, but on medicine and other sciences. 

From the information we have from authors like Clement of Alexandria, Diogenes Laertius, Porphyry, Hermesianax of Colophon, Herodotus and Plutarch, it is believed that Theano might have written some treatises about mathematics, physics and medicine, mostly on women's ailments and the golden mean. Besides, she contributed to the dissemination of the idea that the universe was an enclosed, finite sphere, inside of which the planets orbited around the Earth in a perfect order. From her work, there is only a surviving excerpt of On Piety, with a disquisition on number. 

There is also her letter to Euboea where she talks about education, which sets a precedent for Cornelia and Dhuoda. 

 

Obras

Inglés

Español

Valenciano

He is credited with writings on:

-The life of Pythagoras.

-The theorem of the golden ratio.

-The theory of numbers, treatises on rectangular polyhedra.

-The construction of the universe.

-Letters addressed to different people and on different subjects: from the education of children to the behaviour of married women in the face of

their husbands' amorous adventures... Six letters have survived.

-A treatise, On Piety, of which a fragment is preserved with a disquisition on number.

 

Bibliografía

-Alic, Margaret (1991). El legado de Hipatia. México: Siglo XXI.

-Cervera, José (2018). "Téano, la mujer que sustituyó a Pitágoras", El Diario, (retrieved on 18/04/2021) <https://www.eldiario.es/retiario/Teano-mujer-Pitagoras_6_730786935.html>

-Grau Guijarro, Sergi (2016). “Téano de Crotona i Pitàgoras de Samos: matrimoni pitagòric o invenció biogràfica?,” in Omnia mutantur, vol. I. Barcelona: Edicions de la Universitat de Barcelona, pp. 63-69.

-Gutiérrez, Mercedes, Jufresa, Montserrat, Mier, Cristina y Pardo, Félix (1996). “Teano de Crotona” Enrahonar. Quaderns de Filosofía. vol. 26. Barcelona: Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona.

-Laercio, Diógenes (2004). Vida de los filósofos más ilustres. México: Grupo editorial Tomo S.A.

-Mènage, Gilles (2009). Historia de las mujeres filósofas. Barcelona: Herder.

-Núñez Valdés, Juan, Olivares Nadal, Alba Victoria et alii (2016). “Muchos siglos antes de Hipatia ya hubo mujeres matemáticas”, in Actas del II Congreso Universitario Nacional Investigación y Género. Sevilla: Universidad de Sevilla.

 

 

 

 

Enfoque Didáctico

-Classical culture: Block Classical roots of today's world. Everyday life; Block Continuity of cultural heritage. Literature, art and science.

-History 1st ESO: Societies and territories block, referring to Greece.

-Mathematics, with the study of numbers.

-Plastic and Visual Education, to work on the golden ratio.

-Spanish Language and Literature: Literary Education Block, to work on the epistolary genre.

-Universal literature, to work on the epistolary genre.

-Ethical values and Philosophy, to work on written texts about education.

Documentos