Girish Mahajan (Editor)

List of female scientists before the 20th century

Updated on
Edit
Like
Comment
Share on FacebookTweet on TwitterShare on LinkedInShare on Reddit
List of female scientists before the 20th century

This is a historical list, intended to deal with the time period where it's believed women working in science were rare. For this reason, this list ends with the 20th century.

Antiquity

  • Abrotelia (5th BCE), philosopher in Ancient Greece
  • Aemilia (c. 300 – 363), Gallo-Roman physician
  • Aesara of Lucania (4th or 3rd BCE), philosopher in Ancient Greece
  • Agamede (12th century BCE), (possibly mythical) physician in Ancient Greece
  • Aglaonike (2nd century BCE), the first woman astronomer in Ancient Greece
  • Agnodike (4th century BCE), the first woman physician to practice legally in Athens
  • Andromache (mid-6th century), Egyptian physician
  • Amyte (300 BCE), Greek physician and poet
  • Arete of Cyrene (5th–4th centuries BCE), natural and moral philosopher, North Africa
  • Artemisia of Caria (c. 300 BCE), botanist
  • Asclepigenia (4th AD), Greek Neoplatonist
  • Aspasia (4th century BCE), philosopher and scientist
  • Aspasia the Physician (fl. 1st century CE), Greek physician
  • Axiothea of Phlius (fl. c. 350 BCE), Greek philosopher
  • Beronice (1st AD), Roman philosopher
  • Caerellia (c. 45 BCE), Roman academician
  • Clea (1st-2nd century AD), philosopher
  • Cleachma (5th century BCE), Greek philosopher
  • Cleopatra the Alchemist - wrote the alchemical book, Chrysopoeia, or "gold-making".
  • Damo (6th century BCE), Greek natural philosopher
  • Diotima of Mantinea (4th century BCE), philosopher and scientist, ancient Greece (sources vary as to her historicity; possibly a fictionalized character based on Aspasia of Miletus)
  • Eccello of Lucania (5th or 4th century BCE), Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher
  • Echecratia the Philiasian (5th century BCE), Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher
  • Elephantis (1st century BCE), Greek physician
  • Enheduanna (c. 2285 – 2250 BCE), Sumerian/Akkadian astronomer and poet
  • Fabiola (died 399), Roman physician
  • Favilla (2nd century), Roman physician
  • Gargi Vachaknavi (7th century BCE), Indian philosopher
  • Hypatia (370–415), mathematician and astronomer, Egypt
  • Laïs, midwife
  • Lastheneia of Mantinea, (5th century BCE), student of Plato
  • Leontium (3rd BCE), Greek philosopher
  • Leoparda (4th century AD), gynecologist
  • Macrina (4th century AD), Greek physician and nun
  • Marcella (4th century AD), Roman healer
  • Mary the Jewess (1st or 2nd century CE), alchemist
  • Melissa (3rd century BCE), Greek philosopher
  • Merit Ptah (c. 2700 BCE), Egyptian physician
  • Metrodora (c. 200 – 400 AD), Greek physician and author
  • Myia (5th century BCE), Greek philosopher
  • Nicerata (c. 5th century), physician and healer
  • Occello of Lucania (4th or 5th century BCE), Greek natural philosopher and mathematician
  • Olympias of Thebes (1st century BCE), Greek midwife
  • Origenia (2nd century AD), Greek healer
  • Paphnutia the Virgin (c. 300), Egiptian alchemist
  • Paula (347–404 CE), Roman healer
  • Perictione (5th century BCE), Greek philosopher, mother of Plato
  • Peseshet Egyptian physician (Fourth Dynasty)
  • Pulcheria (5th century AD), healer
  • Pythias of Assos (4th century BCE), marine zoologist
  • Salpe (1st century BCE), Greek midwife
  • Sotira (1st century BCE), Greek physician
  • Tapputi-Belatekallim (First mentioned in a clay tablet dating to 2000 BCE), Babylonian perfumer, the first person in history recorded as using a chemical process.
  • Theano (6th century BCE), philosopher, mathematician and physician
  • Thelka, Iranian
  • Theosebeia (4th century AD), healer

    • References

    List of female scientists before the 20th century Wikipedia
    (Text) CC BY-SA