Cleopatra the Alchemist (c. 3rd century) was a Greek-Egyptian alchemist, author, and philosopher. She is acknowledged as being one of four female alchemists who could produce the Philosopher’s stone.

​

Cleopatra is a pseudonym for the alchemist and author, whose real name has unfortunately been lost through time.

However, three alchemical texts related to her have survived; Ἐκ τῶν Κλεοπάτρας περὶ μέτρων καὶ σταθμῶν (On Weights and Measures), Χρυσοποιία Κλεοπάτρας (Gold Making of Cleopatra), and Διάλογος φιλοσόφων καὶ Κλεοπάτρας (A Dialogue of the Philosophers and Cleopatra).

 

She was a pivotal figure in alchemy as one of the four women who knew how to make the Philosopher’s stone, a legendary alchemical substance able to turn base metals into gold or silver. Cleopatra also invented the alembic, an alchemical still used for distilling chemicals, and was mentioned in the Arabic encyclopaedia, Kitab al-Fihrist with great respect.