Tapputi and Mary the Jewess at the Dawn of Distillation
Happy International Woman's Day 2022
The first two named distillers are both women! Tapputi-Belatekallim who lived around 1200 BC in Babylon, Mesopotamia was the first in history to own a still (that she used for perfume distilling). Mary the Jewess (also called Mary the Prophetess) started researching on distilling between 100-300 AD in Alexandria, Egypt and was a famous alchemist inventing distilling equipment, and influencing scholars searching for the "all healing tincture" or "the water of life". Her findings were written down in riddles and her scripts were famous alchemistic studies until late in the medieval period. Both women deserve to be honored for their achievements in chemistry and distilling.
The Distilling Culture
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This story is part of The Distilling Culture, an original literary collection conceived, researched, developed, edited, assembled, and curated by Caroline Porsiel. Comprising more than 150 stories first published between 2022 and 2026, the collection explores the history and culture of drinking through Caroline’s research, interpretation, narrative direction, thematic organization, and overarching creative vision. Published by House Of Applejay, Inc.
The Distilling Culture collection © 2022–2026 Caroline Porsiel. All rights reserved. No claim is made to ownership of the underlying historical facts or traditions. Copyright is claimed in the original writing, interpretation, narrative treatment, selection, coordination, arrangement, presentation, and collection as a whole.
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