This is a historical list, intended to deal with the time period where it is believed that women working in science were rare. For this reason, this list ends with the 20th century.

• Aemilia (c. 300 CE–363 CE), Gallo-Roman physician
• Aglaonike (2nd century BCE), woman astronomer in Ancient Greece
• Agnodike (4th century BCE), first woman physician to practice legally in Athens^[1]: 2
• Andromache (mid-6th century), Egyptian physician^[2]: 39
• Arete of Cyrene (5th–4th centuries BCE), Greek natural and moral philosopher
• Artemisia of Caria (c. 300 BCE), botanist
• Aspasia the Physician (fl. 1st century CE), Greek physician
• Aurelia Alexandria Zosime, Ancient Roman physician^[3]
• Chun Yuyan (1st century BCE), Chinese obstetrician and gynecologist
• Cleopatra the Alchemist (c. 3rd century CE), wrote the alchemical book, Chrysopoeia, or "gold-making"^{[4]: 99 [5]}
• Damo (6th century BCE), Greek natural philosopher
• Diotima of Mantinea (4th century BCE), philosopher and scientist, ancient Greece
• Eccello of Lucania (5th or 4th century BCE), Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher^[2]: 396
• Echecratia the Philiasian (5th century BCE), Greek/Italian mathematician and natural philosopher^[2]: 397
• Elephantis (1st century BCE), Greek physician
• Enheduanna (c. 2285–2250 BCE), Sumerian/Akkadian astronomer and poet
• Fabiola (died 399 CE), Roman physician
• Fang (first century BCE), Chinese chemist
• Favilla (2nd century), Roman physician^[2]: 436
• Gargi Vachaknavi (7th century BCE), Indian philosopher
• Gu Bao (4th century), Chinese physician
• Hypatia (370–415 CE), mathematician and astronomer, Egypt^[1]: 137
• Laïs (c. 1st/2nd century BCE), midwife^{[2]: 735 [6]}
• Lais of Corinth, Ancient Greek physician^[3]
• Leoparda (4th century CE), gynecologist
• Macrina (4th century CE), Greek physician and nun^[2]: 828
• Marcella (4th century CE), Roman healer^[2]: 841
• Mary the Jewess (1st or 2nd century CE), alchemist^[4]: 128
• Melissa (3rd century BCE), Greek philosopher
• Metrodora (c. 200–400 CE), Greek physician and author
• Minucia Asste, Ancient Roman physician ^[3]
• Myia (5th century BCE), Greek philosopher
• Nicerata (c. 5th century), physician and healer
• Occello of Lucania (4th or 5th century BCE), Greek natural philosopher and mathematician^[2]: 957
• Olympias of Thebes (1st century BCE), Greek midwife^[2]: 962
• Origenia (2nd century CE), Greek healer^[2]: 965
• Pao Ku Ko (3rd century CE), Chinese chemist
• Paphnutia the Virgin (c. 300), Egyptian alchemist^[2]: 978
• Paula (347–404 CE), Roman healer^[2]: 990
• Perictione (5th century BCE), Greek philosopher, mother of Plato
• Panthea, Ancient Greek physician, wife and colleague of Glycon^[3]
• Philinna of Thessaly, Ancient Greek physician^[3]
• Peseshet, Egyptian physician (Fourth Dynasty)
• Pulcheria (5th century CE), healer^[2]: 1059
• Pythias of Assos (4th century BCE), marine zoologist
• Restituta (1st century), Ancient Roman physician ^[3]
• Salpe (1st century BCE), Greek midwife
• Sotira (1st century BCE), Greek physician^{[2]: 1217–18}
• Tapputi-Belatekallim (First mentioned in a clay tablet dating to 2000 BCE), Babylonian perfumer, the first person in history recorded as using a chemical process^[7]
• Terentia Prima, Ancient Roman physician^[3]
• Theano (6th century BCE), philosopher, mathematician and physician
• Thelka, Iranian^[2]: 1278
• Theosebeia (4th century CE), healer^[2]: 1278
• Yi Jia (2nd century BCE), Chinese physician

• Timeline of women in science