What is Agora about?

What is Agora about?

In the 4th century A.D., astronomer and philosopher Hypatia (Rachel Weisz) teaches her scientific beliefs to a class of male students. Among them is lovestruck slave Davus (Max Minghella), the equally smitten Orestes (Oscar Isaac) and young Christian man Synesius (Rupert Evans). Hypatia dismisses all of their advances, but this romantic drama pales in comparison to a rising battle between Christians and pagans on the streets of soon-to-be war-torn Alexandria.
Agora/Film synopsis

What year does Agora take place?

It was destroyed by Christians in 391 A.D., and “Agora” takes place in the years surrounding that incalculable loss.

Who is Cyril in Agora?

Cyril was known as a “pillar of faith” and a champion of the church, which contributed to his sainthood, and his antagonism toward Hypatia and all she stood for would have been completely in keeping with his character as described by ancient writers.

Who was the wisest woman in history?

These are the most inspirational women in history

• Meet the most inspirational women in history: Cleopatra.
• Rosa Parks.
• Mary Wollstonecraft.
• Nora Ephron.
• Emmeline Pankhurst.
• Josephine Baker.
• Malala Yousafzai.
• Amelia Earhart.

Was agora a marketplace?

Origins. Early in Greek history (10th–4th centuries BC), free-born citizens would gather in the agora for military duty or to hear statements of the ruling king or council. Later, the agora also served as a marketplace, where merchants kept stalls or shops to sell their goods amid colonnades.

Are there any inaccuracies in the movie Agora?

There are, indeed, many historical inaccuracies in the film Agora, as there are in other recent and not-so recent Hollywood movies which treat of historical eras and people, whether Gladiator (2000), or Alexander the Great (1956), Alexander (2004), or even Troy (2004) which tried to bring a `realistic’ version of Homer ‘s Iliad to the screen.

What kind of book is Agora by Alejandro Amenabar?

Alejandro Amenábar’s Agora is a work of hagiography, and, for that matter, of anti-hagiography. Among its burdens are that Hypatia of Alexandria, the celebrated neo-Platonic philosopher and mathematician, is worthy of veneration, and also that Cyril of Alexandria, saint and doctor of the Church, is not.

What did Roger Ebert say about the movie Agora?

Bradshaw also applauded Rachel Weisz’s role as Hypatia, calling it “an outstanding performance”. American screenwriter and critic Roger Ebert liked the film and gave it three stars out of four. He said: “I went to see Agora expecting an epic with swords, sandals and sex. I found swords and sandals,…

What was the difference between Agora and Hypatia?

Agora, by contrast, speaks constantly of “the library,” and dramatically displays the gleeful plundering of an immense collection of thousands of scrolls (as well as Hypatia’s frantic efforts to save as many as possible). Regarding Agora ’s portrait of Hypatia herself, O’Neill aptly notes: