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 ...

, 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 ...

'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 bo ...

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 o ...

. 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 Ninet ...

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 {{Greece-hist-stub