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. 1Leonidas ILeonidas Idied 480 BC · Models0 decades
  2. 2TomyrisTomyris600 BC–600 BC · Models14 decades
  3. 3AhabAhab918 BC–852 BC · Models22 decades
  4. 4Emperor Gaozu of HanEmperor Gaozu of Han256 BC–195 BC · 🇨🇳 China · Models0 decades
  5. 5Qin Er ShiQin Er Shi230 BC–207 BC · 🇨🇳 China · Models2 decades
  6. 6JehoiakimJehoiakim634 BC–598 BC · Models22 decades
  7. 7JeconiahJeconiah616 BC–597 BC · Models17 decades
  8. 8PhrynePhryne371 BC–310 BC · Models22 decades
  9. 9Gyges of LydiaGyges of Lydiadied 652 BC · Models0 decades
  10. 10Menelik IMenelik I1000 BC–1000 BC · Models0 decades
  11. 11CICleomenes I600 BC–490 BC · Models0 decades
  12. 12DeiocesDeioces705 BC–675 BC · Models13 decades
  13. 13Archidamus IIArchidamus II450 BC–420 BC · Models0 decades
  14. 14PPleistarchus500 BC–458 BC · Models2 decades
  15. 15Cleomenes IIICleomenes III260 BC–219 BC · Models0 decades
  16. 16BimbisaraBimbisara558 BC–491 BC · Models14 decades
  17. 17AjatashatruAjatashatru500 BC–460 BC · Models2 decades
  18. 18Agis IVAgis IV265 BC–241 BC · Models1 decades
  19. 19CassivellaunusCassivellaunus100 BC–30 BC · Models17 decades
  20. 20AIAgis II470 BC–398 BC · Models0 decades
  21. 21DemaratusDemaratus600 BC–500 BC · Models22 decades
  22. 22Empress Lü ZhiEmpress Lü Zhi241 BC–180 BC · 🇨🇳 China · Modelsnot measured—
  23. 23PhiletaerusPhiletaerus340 BC–263 BC · Models7 decades
  24. 24Emperor Jing of HanEmperor Jing of Han188 BC–141 BC · 🇨🇳 China · Models0 decades
  25. 25Leonidas IILeonidas II315 BC–235 BC · Models0 decades
  26. 26CICleombrotus I500 BC–371 BC · Models0 decades
  27. 27AIAgis III350 BC–331 BC · Models0 decades
  28. 28Wiman of GojoseonWiman of Gojoseon300 BC–200 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  29. 29Ariarathes I of CappadociaAriarathes I of Cappadociadied 322 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  30. 30Hyeokgeose of SillaHyeokgeose of Silla69 BC–4 · Modelsnot measured—
  31. 31Dasaratha MauryaDasaratha Maurya252 BC–224 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  32. 32Brihadratha MauryaBrihadratha Maurya252 BC–180 BC · Models0 decades
  33. 33Areus IAreus I350 BC–265 BC · Models0 decades
  34. 34YuriYuri38 BC–18 · Modelsnot measured—
  35. 35SampratiSampratidied 215 BC · Models0 decades
  36. 36UdayabhadraUdayabhadradied 444 BC · Models0 decades
  37. 37Glaucias of TaulantiGlaucias of Taulantidied 302 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  38. 38AIAgesipolis I410 BC–380 BC · Models0 decades
  39. 39Mahapadma NandaMahapadma Nanda400 BC–329 BC · Models0 decades
  40. 40Hamilcar I of CarthageHamilcar I of Carthagedied 480 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  41. 41CICleomenes II350 BC–309 BC · Models0 decades
  42. 42MIMago I of Carthage600 BC–600 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  43. 43AIAgesipolis II400 BC–369 BC · Models0 decades
  44. 44DDorieus600 BC–508 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  45. 45AIAreus II262 BC–254 BC · Models0 decades
  46. 46AIAgesipolis IIIdied 183 BC · Models0 decades
  47. 47AOAlexander of Pherae400 BC–358 BC · Models10 decades
  48. 48TOTheopompus of Sparta800 BC–700 BC · Models0 decades
  49. 49Ariston of SpartaAriston of Sparta550 BC–510 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  50. 50EIEudamidas I400 BC–300 BC · Models0 decades
  51. 51AAcrotatus400 BC–262 BC · Models6 decades
  52. 52Duke Zhuang of ZhengDuke Zhuang of Zheng701 BC–700 BC · Models0 decades
  53. 53Amyntas of GalatiaAmyntas of Galatia100 BC–25 BC · Models0 decades
  54. 54AIArchidamus IV400 BC–300 BC · Models0 decades
  55. 55ShishunagaShishunagaborn 412 BC · Models0 decades
  56. 56AVArchidamus V250 BC–220 BC · Models0 decades
  57. 57EIEudamidas III241 BC–228 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  58. 58AIArchidamus Iborn 600 BC · Models0 decades
  59. 59SSamsi750 BC–700 BC · Models7 decades
  60. 60UOUgeo of Gojoseondied 108 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  61. 61ZZabibe800 BC–800 BC · Models0 decades
  62. 62EIEudamidas II350 BC–244 BC · Models0 decades
  63. 63PherorasPheroras68 BC–5 BC · Models15 decades
  64. 64CCostobarus50 BC–28 BC · Models6 decades
  65. 65NicocreonNicocreon400 BC–311 BC · Models6 decades
  66. 66IrhuleniIrhuleni900 BC–900 BC · Models0 decades
  67. 67AArchobarzanedied 200 BC · Modelsnot measured—
  68. 68Darayan IDarayan Iborn 150 BC · Modelsnot 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.