To Ian.Thomson

The image by Raphael of what you and others hope to be Hypatia is no more incontrovertibly so than the el Fayum image. The Wiki article on School of Athens says it is only a conjecture that Hypatia was being represented in this painting. Plus the article goes on to say the model used is thought to be Francesco Maria della Rovere, a contemporary of Raphael, with no Egyptian features certainly, moreover with no relation to a woman of Alexandria over a millenium before. Thus your insistence that what may or may not have been Raphael's idea of Hypatia, hardly makes for a close link. The Raphael personage is of an insipid, fair and wafting appearance, a marked contrast to what is written of Hypatia. Perhaps it was Diotima that Raphael was trying to represent here and not Hypatia. That would surely make more sense, though I can't imagine even Diotima looking so wan.

Hypatia was never present at the Athens school. Parmenides (if that IS who is represented next to her) was not her comtemporary. Surely an Egyptian projection (granted a few centuries later), of what Hypatia may have appeared as, has far stronger authenticity than a centuries later Italianate musing, which may OR MAY NOT have been intended as an Hypatia.

This is my first cross word (and hopefully my last) on Wiki, I do not practise correction, I am grateful for the work that you and colleagues do. But it mattered enough for me to sign up to Wiki to state case, and plead if necessary, for the Egyptian image of Hypatia to be used and left undisturbed. I'm sure it matters little to you (relatively), and your claim that the Raphael image is more closely associated, will I hope be shown as untrue by Wikpedia itself, as i've cited.

Best wishes, you work in interesting areas, I'm sorry I am not profficient in Wiki matters, but have done the best I can,

Barroncd