Mary the Jewess, also known as Mary the Hebrew or Myriam the Prophetess, was the first female alchemist. She lived in Alexandria between the 1st and 3rd centuries AD. She invented complex apparatus for the distillation and sublimation of chemicals, as well as the famous Bain Marie. The Kerotakis, her most important invention, is a reflux device used to heat substances used in alchemy and collect their vapors.