In Egyptian mythology, Neith was the goddess of creation, wisdom and war. Egypt is famous and most unusual in the ancient world for its enlightened attitudes towards women. These attitudes were based upon a belief in the universe's duality of male and female, with each bringing balance and order. For thousands of years female warriors, ship captains, business leaders, politicians and pharohs were not considered unusual. Indeed, the Greek historian Herodotus wrote circa 425BC that the Egyptians had "reversed the ordinary practices of mankind".