Notable Women in History [Chapter 3]

Many notable women’s names have been lost in time and all that remains of them are depictions of their likenesses in stone carvings.

One of those women whose work and name were lost is Babylonian chemist, Tapputi-Belatekallim.

Taputti is considered by many as the first (recorded) female chemist in the history of humanity. “Belatekallim” means “female palace overseer”, indicating Tapputi held a position of importance at the Mesopotamian court.

A Mesopotamian cuneiform tablet from around 1200 B.C. describes Tapputi, a perfumer and palace overseer who distilled the essences of flowers and other aromatic materials, filtered them, added water and returned them to the still several times until she got just what she wanted.

The testimony carved on this clay tablet describes Tapputi and Ninu as perfume-makers from Babylonian Mesopotamia, and it’s the first known reference to the process of distillation and the first recorded still.

Her chemical experiments derived in recipes such as fragances and perfumes that were not just used for beauty or cosmetic purposes, they were fragranced substances that were required for medicinal purposes and religious rituals alike. In ancient Mesopotamia, a cradle of civilisation, perfume was a considered a religious offering and often used to anoint icons in sanctuaries atop the ziggurats (Mesopotamian version of pyramids).

...It requires an understanding of technical processes such as extraction and sublimation that allow the chemical procedures like distillation and filtering to be possible. Tapputi wielded these skills well over a millennia ago. It is possible that she also developed basic equipment that allowed her to create her perfumes and fragrances, such equipment could have been adapted or modified from everyday utensils and cookware.

Tapputi is spoken of as being an authority in her field as the official overseer of perfumery in the royal palace, in fact, one of her recipes survives to the date: a fragrant salve for the Babylonian king containing water, oil, flower and calamus, which may either refer to lemongrass or a reedlike plant that is still used in perfumes today.