Claim profile
1–99

The 1st century

Whose working lives fell in the 1st century. Books are measured from 1800 and readers from 2015, so for this period we can say who lived then, not who was talked about then.

Lived then

The most notable people whose working lives fell in the 1st century, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇮🇹 Italy🇮🇱 Israel🇹🇷 Turkey🇪🇸 Spain🇩🇪 Germany🇫🇷 France🇪🇬 Egypt🇨🇳 China🇰🇷 South Korea🇺🇸 United States
FieldAllPoliticiansHistorical FiguresReligious FiguresWritersAcademicsDoctorsScientistsModelsBusiness ProfessionalsArchitects
  1. 1Paul the ApostlePaul the Apostle5–66 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers18 decades
  2. 2NeroNero37–68 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writersnot measured—
  3. 3Pliny the ElderPliny the Elder20–79 · Writers22 decades
  4. 4TacitusTacitus55–120 · Writersnot measured—
  5. 5JosephusJosephus37–100 · Writers21 decades
  6. 6Pliny the YoungerPliny the Younger61–113 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  7. 7JuvenalJuvenal55–200 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writersnot measured—
  8. 8MartialMartial40–104 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Writersnot measured—
  9. 9PetroniusPetronius27–66 · Writersnot measured—
  10. 10PhaedrusPhaedrus20 BC–50 · Writers22 decades
  11. 11LucanLucan39–65 · Writers22 decades
  12. 12Marcus Velleius PaterculusMarcus Velleius Paterculus19 BC–31 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0 decades
  13. 13ColumellaColumella4–70 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Writers22 decades
  14. 14StatiusStatius45–96 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writersnot measured—
  15. 15Dio ChrysostomDio Chrysostom40–120 · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers22 decades
  16. 16Pomponius MelaPomponius Mela15–100 · 🇪🇸 Spain · Writers22 decades
  17. 17PersiusPersius34–62 · Writers22 decades
  18. 18Xu ShenXu Shen58–147 · Writers6 decades
  19. 19BBBan Biao3–54 · Writersnot measured—
  20. 20Pseudo-ApollodorusPseudo-Apollodorus50–150 · Writers0 decades
  21. 21GVGaius Valerius Flaccus45–95 · Writers0 decades
  22. 22AApion20 BC–45 · Writersnot measured—
  23. 23Ban ZhaoBan Zhao45–116 · Writers2 decades
  24. 24Hyginus MythographusHyginus Mythographus50–300 · Writersnot measured—
  25. 25SosthenesSosthenesdied 100 · Writersnot measured—
  26. 26Ban GuBan Gu32–92 · Writers9 decades
  27. 27LJLucilius Junior6–100 · Writers0 decades
  28. 28APAsconius Pedianus9 BC–76 · Writers4 decades
  29. 29TrophimusTrophimusborn 50 · Writersnot measured—
  30. 30POPhilo of Byblos50–140 · Writers0 decades
  31. 31MesomedesMesomedes1–200 · Writers0 decades
  32. 32Achaicus of CorinthAchaicus of Corinthdied 100 · Writersnot measured—
  33. 33JOJustus of Tiberias35–100 · Writers5 decades
  34. 34Mara Bar-SerapionMara Bar-Serapionborn 50 · Writers0 decades
  35. 35Artemas of LystraArtemas of Lystradied 100 · Writersnot measured—
  36. 36MSMasurius Sabinus15 BC–100 · Writers0 decades
  37. 37MCMarcus Cluvius Rufus50–100 · Writers0 decades
  38. 38CBCaesius Bassus50–79 · Writers0 decades
  39. 39NNicarchusdied 100 · Writers3 decades
  40. 40ATApollonius the Sophist1–150 · Writers0 decades
  41. 41CMCuriatius Maternus50–100 · Writers0 decades
  42. 42Claudia SeveraClaudia Severaborn 1 · Writers0 decades
  43. 43Ch'in ChiaCh'in Chia1 BC–1 · Writers0 decades
  44. 44CPClutorius Priscus20 BC–21 · Writers0 decades
  45. 45LALucius Arruntius Stellaborn 50 · Writers0 decades
  46. 46LJLucius Julius Graecinus39–100 · Writersnot measured—
  47. 47BNBhatta Narayana8–9 · Writers0 decades

How this is measured

  • Placing people in time. Each person belongs to the century in which they were most active — around age 35, and never after their death.
  • Who ranks highest. Within a century, people are ranked where two independent signals agree: how many of the world’s Wikipedia language editions cover them, and how many people actually read about them. Article counts alone can be lifted by a person’s own circle; readers cannot.
  • Fame in print. The curves count how often a name appears in Google Books from 1800 to 2019, as a share of all the words printed each year, in the person’s own language wherever that corpus exists. Those decades are over, so each measurement is made once and kept.
  • What is left out. A lifetime is measured only from 1820, when there is enough print to judge; the five years after a death are skipped as obituaries; and a name shared with someone equally notable is credited to neither.