Origins & Early Life

Cleopatra the Alchemist (Greek: Κλεοπάτρα; fl. c. 3rd century AD), also referred to as, Cleopatra the Wise, was an Egyptian alchemist, writer, and philosopher, born and raised in Alexandria, Ancient Egypt. She experimented with practical alchemy but is also credited as one of the four female alchemists who could produce the philosopher's stone.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Some writers consider her to be the inventor of the alembic, a distillation apparatus. Cleopatra the Alchemist appears to have been active in Alexandria in the 3rd century or 4th century A.D. She is associated with the school of alchemy typified by Mary the Jewess and Comarius. These alchemists used complex apparatus for distillation and sublimation. Cleopatra is a pseudonym for an unknown author or group of authors.

Enduring Legacy & Impact

She is not the same person as Cleopatra VII. Nonetheless, she is referred to as Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, in some later works. One example of this can be found in Basilica Philosophica by Johann Daniel Mylius (1618), where her seal is pictured alongside the motto: "The divine is hidden from the people according to the wisdom of the Lord". She is also conflated with Cleopatra the Physician. The two supposedly...

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