Five Influential Women From Ancient Greece Who Changed History

The women of ancient Greece were rarely considered a fundamental part of society. Yet, some extraordinary women were defiant, and they firmly established themselves as respected philosophers, mathematicians, or physicians.  Men largely dominated ancient Greece. During the Hellenistic Period, no woman could ever acquire citizenship, barring them from public life. Despite stern restrictions, some women made remarkable achievements. While a lot of them have had their deeds and names lost to history, here are five influential ancient Greek women who are still noteworthy. Sappho of Lesbos Sappho is one of the most notable names in ancient Greek lyric poetry. The poetess composed around 10,000 lines of poetry during her lifetime, all of them were accompanied by music as per the lyric poetry's tradition. As a result, she was applauded during her lifetime. She was often viewed as one of the canonical Nine Lyric Poets praised in Hellenistic Alexandria, and some have even described her as the 'Tenth Muse'. Agnodice of Athens Agnodice was the first female midwife known in history. She disguised as a man to study medicine under Herophilus, as women were not entitled to practice medicine. Agnodice began practising as a midwife in Athens, disguised as a man, and specialized in helping pregnant women during their labour, as men often refused to do this. Arete of Cyrene Arete is the first known female philosopher. She learned philosophy from her father, who was a former student of Socrates. She passed her philosophical teachings on to her son, and it is believed that she took over the School of Cyrene after her father's demise. Unfortunately, none of her teachings has survived, but her name has been repeatedly mentioned by several philosophers and historians like Aristocles, Aelius, Clement of Alexandria, and Diogenes Laërtius. Hypatia of Alexandria Hypatia was an astronomer, philosopher, and mathematician hailing from Alexandria. She is the first known female mathematician and the last person to head the Philosophical School of Alexandria. Hypatia was an eminent lecturer and teacher of philosophical topics and is often credited as the astrolabe's creator (or at least, the perfecter). Hydra of Scione Hydra was an accomplished free diver and long-distance swimmer. Her father mentored her. When the Persians invaded Greece, Hydra and her father swam until they reached the Persian fleet and cut their moorings, causing the ships to crash into one another and eventually sink. This enabled the Greek naval forces to prepare for battle and defeat the Persians. Despite the social isolation of women in Ancient Greece, these women and their remarkable achievements are revered to date.