Historical figures of the Ancient World
The atlas holds 49 people and 879 moments here, from 1281 BC to 430. The most recorded lives are Constantine the Great, Cicero and Alexander the Great. Among them Writers, Philosophers and Political Leaders.
Notable people
Constantine the Great
from 272 to 337
96 moments here
Roman emperor from 306 to 337. Born at Naissus, Constantine served under Diocletian and Galerius in the eastern empire, joined his father in Britain,…
Cicero
from 106 BC to 43 BC
83 moments here
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) was a Roman lawyer, orator, philosopher, consul, provincial governor, and defender of the late Republic.…
Alexander the Great
from 356 BC to 323 BC
54 moments here
Alexander III of Macedon (356–323 BCE), known as Alexander the Great, became king of Macedon in 336 BCE and campaigned from the Balkans through the…
Augustus
from 63 BC to 14
51 moments here
Augustus, born Gaius Octavius and conventionally called Octavian before 27 BC, founded the Roman principate.…
Julius Caesar
from 100 BC to 44 BC
50 moments here
Gaius Julius Caesar was a Roman politician, general, orator and author whose career spanned the late Roman Republic.…
Paul the Apostle
from 5 to 64
45 moments here
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was a first-century Jewish Christian apostle and missionary. The chronology below follows the traditional reconstruction used…
Hannibal
from 247 BC to 183 BC
43 moments here
Hannibal Barca was a Carthaginian general and statesman best known for leading an army from Iberia across the Alps into Italy during the Second Punic…
Qin Shi Huang
from 259 BC to 210 BC
34 moments here
Born Zhao Zheng at Handan, he became king of Qin as a child, completed the conquest of the rival Warring States, and proclaimed himself China’s First…
Hannibal
from 247 BC to 183 BC
32 moments here
Hannibal (Hannibal Barca) was a Carthaginian general and statesman, born at Carthage in 247 BC.…
Cleopatra
from 69 BC to 30 BC
27 moments here
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (born early 69 BC, possibly late 70 BC; died 10 or 12 August 30 BC) was the last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt.…
Jesus Christ
from 5 BC to 30
26 moments here
Jesus of Nazareth was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader in Roman Judaea. Most modern scholars agree that he existed historically;…
Augustine of Hippo
from 354 to 430
26 moments here
Aurelius Augustinus, known as Augustine of Hippo, was a North African rhetorician, Christian theologian, philosopher, priest, and bishop.…
Confucius
from 551 BC to 479 BC
23 moments here
Confucius, born Kong Qiu, was a teacher, political thinker, and sometime official of the Chinese state of Lu.…
Nero
from 37 to 68
19 moments here
Nero Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus was Roman emperor from 13 October 54 to 9 June 68. This chronology records securely documented physical…
Plato
from 428 BC to 347 BC
18 moments here
Ancient Greek philosopher of Classical Athens, student of Socrates, teacher of Aristotle, and founder of the Academy.…
The Buddha
from 563 BC to 483 BC
18 moments here
Siddhartha Gautama, known as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and teacher who founded Buddhism in the eastern Indo-Gangetic Plain.…
Marcus Aurelius
from 121 to 180
18 moments here
Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and Stoic philosopher. This chronology records securely attested physical presence from his birth and Roman residences…
Hadrian
from 76 to 138
18 moments here
Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian traveled extensively through the Roman Empire, inspecting frontiers and armies, intervening in provincial…
Ramesses II
from 1281 BC to 1213 BC
17 moments here
Ramesses II, commonly called Ramesses the Great, was the third pharaoh of Egypt's Nineteenth Dynasty.…
Galen
from 129 to 169
16 moments here
Galen of Pergamon was a Greek physician, surgeon, medical author, and philosopher active in the Roman Empire.…
Virgil
from 55 BC to 19 BC
15 moments here
Publius Vergilius Maro, known as Virgil, was a Roman poet of the Augustan age and the author of the Eclogues, Georgics, and Aeneid.…
Horace
from 65 BC to 8 BC
15 moments here
Quintus Horatius Flaccus, known as Horace, was a Roman lyric poet, satirist, and former republican military tribune.…
Ashoka
from 304 BC to 249 BC
12 moments here
Ashoka was the third Mauryan emperor, ruling most of the Indian subcontinent from approximately 268 to 232 BCE.…
Aristotle
from 384 BC to 322 BC
9 moments here
Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath whose surviving biography is reconstructed from sparse and sometimes conflicting ancient traditions.…
Moments
- 1281 BC Campaigns into Nubia as crown prince Ramesses II
- 1276 BC Campaigns in Amurru Ramesses II
- 1274 BC Passes Egypt's eastern frontier fortress Ramesses II
- 1274 BC Returns to Pi-Ramesses after Kadesh Ramesses II
- 1274 BC Arrives and fights at Kadesh Ramesses II
- 1274 BC Reaches the vicinity of Shabtuna Ramesses II
- 1272 BC Advances to Damascus and Upi Ramesses II
- 1272 BC Besieges Dapur Ramesses II
- 1272 BC Crosses the Dog River Ramesses II
- 1272 BC Marches on Hesbon Ramesses II
- 1272 BC Marches through Kumidi Ramesses II
- 1272 BC Reaches Tunip in northern Amurru Ramesses II
- 1269 BC Marches against Dapur again Ramesses II
- 1259 BC Receives the Hittite peace treaty Ramesses II
- 1255 BC Inaugurates Abu Simbel with Nefertari Ramesses II
- 1213 BC Buried in tomb KV7 Ramesses II
- 1213 BC Dies at probable royal residence Ramesses II
- 620 BC Traditional birth at Mesembria Aesop
- 600 BC Departure from Mytilene into exile Sappho
- 600 BC Exile in Sicily Sappho
- 570 BC Birth and early years on Samos Pythagoras
- 564 BC Death at Delphi Aesop
- 563 BC Born at Lumbini The Buddha
- 563 BC Grew up at Kapilavastu The Buddha
- 559 BC Accession at Pasargadae Cyrus the Great
- 551 BC Born in Zou Confucius
- 550 BC Battle near Pasargadae Cyrus the Great
- 550 BC Capture of Ecbatana Cyrus the Great
- 547 BC Battle of Pteria Cyrus the Great
- 547 BC Engineering the Halys crossing with Croesus' army Thales of Miletus
- 546 BC Occupation of Sardis Cyrus the Great
- 544 BC Traditional birth in Qi Sun Tzu
- 534 BC Begged for alms at Rajagaha The Buddha
- 534 BC Departed Kapilavastu as an ascetic The Buddha
- 533 BC Crossing of the Hindu Kush Cyrus the Great
- 530 BC Emigration to Croton Pythagoras
- 529 BC Campaign against the Massagetae Cyrus the Great
- 528 BC Awakened beneath the Bodhi tree The Buddha
- 528 BC Delivered the first sermon at Sarnath The Buddha
- 528 BC Spent the first rains retreat at Sarnath The Buddha
- 527 BC Established retreats at Veluvana The Buddha
- 525 BC Birth at Eleusis Aeschylus
- 525 BC Visits the ruler of Tan Confucius
- 524 BC Kept the fifth retreat near Vesali The Buddha
- 522 BC Answers Duke Jing in Lu Confucius
- 520 BC Spent the ninth retreat at Kosambi The Buddha
- 517 BC Seeks service in Qi Confucius
- 516 BC Returns to Lu Confucius
- 515 BC Kept the fourteenth retreat at Jetavana The Buddha
- 514 BC Returned to Kapilavastu for the fifteenth retreat The Buddha