In celebration of Women's History Month, here are a few outstanding women from the ancient world:

Hypatia was a brilliant woman professor of astronomy, mathematics and neo-platonism at the University of Alexandria, Egypt during the late Roman Empire (4th century AD). She also had political influence due to her close friendship with Orestes, the Roman praefectus, and other prominent politicians. She was the daughter of the university president, the mathematician Theon. She respected all religious perspectives, including both pagan and Christian, and was loved by many people of diverse faiths because of this. Political opponents, perhaps threatened by her influence, mobbed her and dragged her from her chariot as she was driving through Alexandria, then brutally murdered her, shocking the world, especially as philosophers were then considered inviolable.

Ennigaldi-Nanna, the daughter of King Nabonidus, the first known archaeologist, was a woman archaeologist, professor and museum curator in 6th century BC Babylon (ca. 2500 years ago). She helped her father with excavations and the high quality dating, cleaning and classifcation of artifacts; curated his museum and lectured at a university.

Berenice (Roman Judaean), because of her intelligence and talent, coruled equally with her brother Agrippa II and commissioned many projects in diverse Roman provinces herself or jointly with him. Berenice and Agrippa II were the great-grandchildren of Herod the Great and Mariamne and the children of the last king of Judaea, Agrippa I. Berenice approached Titus alone when he and his father Vespasian were sacking Jerusalem during the first revolt and asked him to spare the Temple, which he agreed to, although a fire later spread into it by accident (according to Josephus). He fell in love with her and would have married her and made her the next Roman empress but he unfortunately died suddenly.

Metrodora was a Roman woman physician of the 4th century AD who wrote a large encyclopedia based on her research and findings which is extremely detailed and observant and is referenced by well known male physicians. In the Roman era, women physicians were respected equally with their male counterparts. Women of all social class levels became physicians.

Antonia Minor was the daughter of Marcus Antonius ("Mark Antony") and the wife of the senior Germanicus. After he died, she refused to be placed in another arranged marriage and Caesar Tiberius respected that. She had tremendous political clout. Because of her many Eastern connections as Marcus Antonius' daughter, she was the patron of many Eastern client kings including Agrippa I and his siblings and was close friends with his mother. It is most probably through these connections (she was close friends with Agrippa I, who was the close friend of Tiberius' son and later heir-to-be Drusus) that she learned of the praetorian prefect Sejanus' conspiracies against Tiberius. Sejanus was Tiberius' right-hand man and next in command. It appears that he was responsible for Drusus' death just after the latter was made heir apparent to Tiberius. Thus, through acquiring this intelligence on Sejanus, Antonia Minor approached Tiberius with the information, a very delicate process, but he listened to her because of his respect for her, and he then arrested Sejanus and had him executed.

Julia Livia was the wife of Augustus the first emperor of Rome. Numerous rumours were spread about her being responsible for the deaths of his heirs which appear to have been from natural causes. She was very intelligent and helped him to rule. According to something Gaius "Caligula" later said, she seems to have been adept at intrigue (he called her "Odysseus in a stola"). But I'm not particularly fond of her.

Agrippina the Elder was the wife of the younger Germanicus. She was close to her husband and he took her and his children with him when he served on the military fronts and was sent on diplomatic missions to the provinces. She also rallied his army in Germania during a crisis and was known to wear military dress and be involved closely with the troops. She was criticized for that. She seems to have had a very strong personality. When Germanicus died suddenly in Syria (possibly assassinated) and she returned to Rome, she gained her own political party of supporters in opposition to Sejanus. However, she was not proficient at negotiating with those she did not agree with which led to tremendous clashes with Tiberius and Sejanus and her exile and death. It seems she was so grief stricken over and suspicious concerning her husband's death that she could not express herself calmly.