Pythias (; el, Πυθιάς, translit=Pūthiás), also known as Pythias the Elder, was a Greek biologist and embryologist.
She was the adoptive daughter of
Hermias of Atarneus Hermias of Atarneus (; el, Ἑρμίας ὁ Ἀταρνεύς; died 341/0 BC) was a Greek tyrant of Atarneus, and Aristotle's father-in-law.
The first mention of Hermias is as a slave to Eubulus, a Bithynian banker who ruled Atarneus. Hermias ev ...
, as well as
Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Classical period in Ancient Greece. Taught by Plato, he was the founder of the Peripatetic school of phil ...
's first wife.
Personal life and family
Whilst Pythias' date of birth is unclear, she was active around 330 BC
and she died in Athens sometime after 355 BC. Aristotle and Pythias had a daughter, Pythias the Younger.
Pythias the Younger
Pythias the Younger married three times, but is also said to have predeceased her father. Her first husband was Nicanor, Aristotle's nephew by his sister
Arimneste
Arimneste ( grc, Ἀριμνήστη) was the daughter of Nicomachus and Phaestis, and Aristotle
Aristotle (; grc-gre, Ἀριστοτέλης ''Aristotélēs'', ; 384–322 BC) was a Greek philosopher and polymath during the Clas ...
. According to Aristotle's will, Nicanor was to manage the family affairs until his son,
Nicomachus
Nicomachus of Gerasa ( grc-gre, Νικόμαχος; c. 60 – c. 120 AD) was an important ancient mathematician and music theorist, best known for his works ''Introduction to Arithmetic'' and ''Manual of Harmonics'' in Greek. He was born in ...
came of age. Pythias' second husband was
Procles of Sparta. Pythias' third husband was Metrodorus, a physician.
Work in biology
Pythias supposedly worked with her husband, Aristotle, on an encyclopedia from the material they gathered on their honeymoon on
Mytilene
Mytilene (; el, Μυτιλήνη, Mytilíni ; tr, Midilli) is the capital of the Greek island of Lesbos, and its port. It is also the capital and administrative center of the North Aegean Region, and hosts the headquarters of the University of ...
. She is reputed to have collected a range of specimens of living things.
Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead
Kate Campbell Hurd-Mead (April 6, 1867 – January 1, 1941) was a pioneering feminist and obstetrician who promoted the role of women in medicine. She wrote ''A History of Women in Medicine: From the Earliest of Times to the Beginning of the Nine ...
suggests that the couple collaborated in the
study of generation.
References
4th-century BC Greek women
Aristotle
4th-century BC Greek people
4th-century BC deaths
Metics in Classical Athens
Women biologists
Ancient Greek biologists
Embryologists
Year of birth unknown
Ancient women scientists
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