In Classical Antiquity, the inquiry into the workings of the universe took place both in investigations aimed at such practical goals as establishing a reliable calendar or determining how to cure a variety of illnesses and in those abstract investigations known as natural philosophy. The ancient people who are considered the first scientists may have thought of themselves as <answer>natural philosophers</answer>, as practitioners of a skilled profession (for example, physicians), or as followers of a religious tradition (for example, temple healers).
What would the first scientists have been considered?
natural philosophers