Claim profile
1000–1 BC

The 1st millennium BC

Whose working lives fell in the 1st millennium BC. 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 millennium BC, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇮🇹 Italy🇹🇷 Turkey🇨🇳 China🇮🇳 India🇪🇬 Egypt🇫🇷 France🇯🇵 Japan🇪🇸 Spain🇧🇷 Brazil🇩🇪 Germany
FieldAllPoliticiansHistorical FiguresWritersAcademicsModelsArtistsScientistsReligious FiguresDoctorsArchitects
  1. 1PhidiasPhidias500 BC–430 BC · Artists22 decades
  2. 2ApellesApelles370 BC–306 BC · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Artists22 decades
  3. 3PraxitelesPraxiteles395 BC–330 BC · Artists22 decades
  4. 4PPolykleitos490 BC–420 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  5. 5LysipposLysippos390 BC–300 BC · Artists13 decades
  6. 6MyronMyron500 BC–500 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  7. 7ZeuxisZeuxis500 BC–400 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Artists22 decades
  8. 8ScopasScopas395 BC–350 BC · Artists22 decades
  9. 9LLeochares400 BC–400 BC · Artists16 decades
  10. 10Polygnotus of ThasosPolygnotus of Thasos500 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  11. 11AlcamenesAlcamenes500 BC–400 BC · Artists15 decades
  12. 12Chares of LindosChares of Lindos400 BC–280 BC · Artists0 decades
  13. 13ParrhasiusParrhasius500 BC–460 BC · Artists21 decades
  14. 14CresilasCresilas480 BC–410 BC · Artists0 decades
  15. 15IaiaIaiaborn 100 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  16. 16TimareteTimarete420 BC–400 BC · Artists0 decades
  17. 17AApollodorus500 BC–460 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  18. 18Cephisodotus the ElderCephisodotus the Elder500 BC–400 BC · Artists0 decades
  19. 19AntenorAntenorborn 600 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  20. 20APAchilles Painter500 BC–425 BC · Artists0 decades
  21. 21Alexandros of AntiochAlexandros of Antioch200 BC–100 BC · Artists0 decades
  22. 22PaeoniusPaeonius500 BC–460 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  23. 23CalamisCalamis500 BC–460 BC · Artists12 decades
  24. 24AAgatharchus500 BC–460 BC · Artists6 decades
  25. 25VVulca600 BC–600 · Artists1 decades
  26. 26POPhiloxenus of Eretria400 BC–360 BC · Artists0 decades
  27. 27Andokides painterAndokides painterborn 600 BC · Artists0 decades
  28. 28BryaxisBryaxis400 BC–360 BC · Artists8 decades
  29. 29AAgeladas600 BC–500 BC · Artists6 decades
  30. 30Polykleitos the YoungerPolykleitos the Younger400 BC–360 BC · Artists0 decades
  31. 31SilanionSilanion400 BC–360 BC · Artists1 decades
  32. 32TimotheosTimotheos400 BC–340 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  33. 33TimanthesTimanthes500 BC–400 BC · Artists11 decades
  34. 34BoethusBoethus300 BC–200 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  35. 35AAgoracritus500 BC–500 BC · Artists10 decades
  36. 36ProtogenesProtogenes400 BC–360 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  37. 37CritiusCritius600 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  38. 38TOTheodorus of Samosborn 550 BC · Artists0 decades
  39. 39PasitelesPasiteles200 BC–100 BC · Artists3 decades
  40. 40EchionEchiondied 400 BC · Artists10 decades
  41. 41EireneEireneborn 200 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  42. 42MiconMicon500 BC–500 BC · Artists19 decades
  43. 43AthanadorosAthanadoros100 BC–100 BC · Artists0 decades
  44. 44AOApollonius of Tralles200 BC–160 BC · Artists0 decades
  45. 45AOAristidis of Thebes II400 BC–360 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  46. 46Cephisodotus the YoungerCephisodotus the Younger400 BC–300 BC · Artists0 decades
  47. 47EutychidesEutychides400 BC–300 BC · Artists0 decades
  48. 48Darius PainterDarius Painterborn 400 BC · Artists0 decades
  49. 49AOApollonius of Athens100 BC–100 BC · Artists0 decades
  50. 50OnatasOnatas550 BC–500 BC · Artists7 decades
  51. 51SSophroniscus500 BC–500 BC · Artists10 decades
  52. 52AAnaxandraborn 201 BC · Artists0 decades
  53. 53Analatos PainterAnalatos Painter800 BC–700 BC · Artists0 decades
  54. 54RRhoecus700 BC–600 BC · Artists13 decades
  55. 55AArchermus600 BC–600 BC · Artists0 decades
  56. 56Sappho PainterSappho Painterborn 550 BC · Artists0 decades
  57. 57EEupompus450 BC–400 BC · Artists6 decades
  58. 58KPKleophon Painter500 BC–401 BC · Artists0 decades
  59. 59Polymedes of ArgosPolymedes of Argosborn 550 BC · Artists0 decades
  60. 60SOSatyros of Parosborn 400 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  61. 61PhintiasPhintias600 BC–501 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  62. 62CCanachusborn 600 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  63. 63BOBathycles of Magnesia600 BC–560 BC · Artists0 decades
  64. 64Naukydes of ArgosNaukydes of Argos500 BC–460 BC · Artists0 decades
  65. 65Triptolemos PainterTriptolemos Painter600 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  66. 66PythonPythonborn 350 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  67. 67XOXenokrates of Sicyonborn 250 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  68. 68GOGlaucus of Chios800 BC–700 BC · Artists0 decades
  69. 69AAglaophon600 BC–500 BC · Artists4 decades
  70. 70CalypsoCalypsoborn 250 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  71. 71Baltimore PainterBaltimore Painter400 BC–301 BC · Artists0 decades
  72. 72AAgasias200 BC–100 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  73. 73AAristareteborn 550 BC · Artists0 decades
  74. 74GnosisGnosisborn 350 BC · Artists20 decades
  75. 75PPolydoros200 BC–200 BC · Artists2 decades
  76. 76HOHegias of Athens1000 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  77. 77Diosphos PainterDiosphos Painter550 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  78. 78CPCodrus Painterborn 500 BC · Artists0 decades
  79. 79SmilisSmilisborn 550 BC · Artists2 decades
  80. 80COClearchus of Rhegium550 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  81. 81TimomachusTimomachusdied 100 BC · Artists7 decades
  82. 82GOGlycon of Athens100 BC–60 BC · Artists0 decades
  83. 83AOAristion of Parosborn 550 BC · Artists0 decades
  84. 84PPhradmon500 BC–460 BC · Artists0 decades
  85. 85TOTheon of Samosdied 400 BC · Artists0 decades
  86. 86Meleager PainterMeleager Painter400 BC–301 BC · Artists0 decades
  87. 87AOAgasias of Ephesus50 BC–50 BC · Artists0 decades
  88. 88Cimon of CleonaeCimon of Cleonae550 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  89. 89Theseus PainterTheseus Painterborn 550 BC · Artists0 decades
  90. 90AOAnaxagoras of Aegina500 BC–500 BC · Artists0 decades
  91. 91AAristoklesborn 600 BC · Artists0 decades
  92. 92NONealces of Sikyon300 BC–260 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  93. 93AAlypus500 BC–400 BC · Artists0 decades
  94. 94DODemetrius of Alopece500 BC–400 BC · Artists0 decades
  95. 95BBoedas400 BC–360 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  96. 96Nikoxenos PainterNikoxenos Painter600 BC–500 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  97. 97GGorgasusborn 550 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  98. 98PPhyromachos250 BC–200 BC · Artists0 decades
  99. 99CCleomenes100 BC–60 BC · Artistsnot measured—
  100. 100DDamophilus700 BC–600 BC · Artistsnot measured—

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.