description Agora Overview
The film portrays Hypatia, a 4th-century Roman Egyptian mathematician and philosopher, amidst religious conflict and social upheaval. She attempts to preserve classical knowledge while investigating alternative cosmological models. Davus and Orestes are key figures in her life as a father’s slave and a student/prefect respectively.
Sources: en.wikipedia.org
info Agora Specifications
| Country | Spain |
| Year | 2009 |
help Agora FAQ
Who plays Hypatia in Agora, and who directed the film?
Rachel Weisz plays Hypatia, and Alejandro Amenábar directed the 2009 Spanish historical drama. Max Minghella plays Davus and Oscar Isaac plays Orestes. [Spanish Film Database](https://infoicaa.mcu.es/CatalogoICAA/es-es/Peliculas/Detalle?Pelicula=18908&q=true).
Was Hypatia of Alexandria a real person?
Yes. Hypatia was a historical philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer in Alexandria who died in 415 CE. Agora dramatizes her final years, so it is historical fiction rather than a documentary. [Pittsburg State University paper](https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/phil_faculty/17/).
Did the real Hypatia discover heliocentric or elliptical orbits?
The film shows Hypatia working toward those ideas, but historians have no evidence that she made those discoveries. Scholarship treats the film's astronomy breakthroughs as dramatic invention rather than established biography. [Pittsburg State University paper](https://digitalcommons.pittstate.edu/phil_faculty/17/).
What religious conflict does Agora depict?
Set in Alexandria in AD 391, the film shows pagan, Christian, and Jewish communities caught in political and religious conflict. Hypatia's school and the city's classical learning become part of the struggle for power. [World History Encyclopedia](https://www.worldhistory.org/article/656/historical-accuracy-in-the-film-agora/).
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