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. 1HomerHomer900 BC–800 BC · Writers22 decades
  2. 2VirgilVirgil70 BC–19 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  3. 3OvidOvid43 BC–17 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  4. 4HerodotusHerodotus484 BC–425 BC · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers22 decades
  5. 5SophoclesSophocles496 BC–406 BC · Writers22 decades
  6. 6SapphoSappho650 BC–570 BC · Writers22 decades
  7. 7ThucydidesThucydides460 BC–395 BC · Writers22 decades
  8. 8Sun TzuSun Tzu544 BC–496 BC · Writers8 decades
  9. 9HoraceHorace65 BC–8 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writersnot measured—
  10. 10Sima QianSima Qian145 BC–86 BC · 🇨🇳 China · Writers9 decades
  11. 11AeschylusAeschylus525 BC–456 BC · Writers22 decades
  12. 12EuripidesEuripides480 BC–406 BC · Writers22 decades
  13. 13HesiodHesiodborn 776 BC · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers22 decades
  14. 14LivyLivy59 BC–17 · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  15. 15AristophanesAristophanes445 BC–385 BC · Writers22 decades
  16. 16SolonSolon630 BC–560 BC · Writers22 decades
  17. 17Emperor Wu of HanEmperor Wu of Han156 BC–87 BC · Writers8 decades
  18. 18LucretiusLucretius94 BC–55 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  19. 19CatullusCatullus84 BC–54 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  20. 20Qu YuanQu Yuan343 BC–278 BC · 🇨🇳 China · Writers11 decades
  21. 21PindarPindar517 BC–437 BC · Writers22 decades
  22. 22PolybiusPolybius200 BC–120 BC · Writers22 decades
  23. 23PlautusPlautus250 BC–184 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  24. 24Diodorus SiculusDiodorus Siculus90 BC–20 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  25. 25SallustSallust86 BC–35 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  26. 26TerenceTerence185 BC–159 BC · Writersnot measured—
  27. 27MenanderMenander340 BC–290 BC · Writersnot measured—
  28. 28ManethoManethoborn 201 BC · Writers22 decades
  29. 29PropertiusPropertius47 BC–16 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  30. 30IsocratesIsocrates436 BC–338 BC · Writers22 decades
  31. 31AnacreonAnacreon570 BC–485 BC · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers22 decades
  32. 32Dionysius of HalicarnassusDionysius of Halicarnassus60 BC–7 BC · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers22 decades
  33. 33EnniusEnnius239 BC–169 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  34. 34TheocritusTheocritus400 BC–260 BC · Writers22 decades
  35. 35Juba IIJuba II52 BC–23 · Writers0 decades
  36. 36CallimachusCallimachus305 BC–240 BC · Writers22 decades
  37. 37TibullusTibullus50 BC–15 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  38. 38Apollonius of RhodesApollonius of Rhodes295 BC–215 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Writers8 decades
  39. 39HOHecataeus of Miletus600 BC–475 BC · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers1 decades
  40. 40ArchilochusArchilochus688 BC–645 BC · Writers22 decades
  41. 41Cornelius NeposCornelius Nepos100 BC–25 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  42. 42Simonides of CeosSimonides of Ceos556 BC–468 BC · Writers2 decades
  43. 43Alcaeus of MytileneAlcaeus of Mytilene630 BC–560 BC · Writers0 decades
  44. 44LysiasLysias445 BC–380 BC · Writers22 decades
  45. 45Valerius MaximusValerius Maximus100 BC–100 · Writers22 decades
  46. 46PSPublilius Syrus100 BC–100 BC · 🇹🇷 Turkey · Writers8 decades
  47. 47GJGaius Julius Hyginus64 BC–17 · Writers0 decades
  48. 48BerossusBerossus400 BC–300 BC · Writers16 decades
  49. 49Gnaeus Pompeius TrogusGnaeus Pompeius Trogus100 BC–100 BC · Writers0 decades
  50. 50Livius AndronicusLivius Andronicus280 BC–200 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers20 decades
  51. 51AOApollodorus of Athens180 BC–120 BC · Writers0 decades
  52. 52AratusAratus315 BC–240 BC · Writersnot measured—
  53. 53Theognis of MegaraTheognis of Megara570 BC–485 BC · Writers0 decades
  54. 54AlcmanAlcmandied 601 BC · Writers22 decades
  55. 55CCtesias500 BC–400 BC · Writers22 decades
  56. 56Titus Pomponius AtticusTitus Pomponius Atticus110 BC–32 BC · Writers1 decades
  57. 57TyrtaeusTyrtaeus700 BC–700 BC · Writers22 decades
  58. 58CorinnaCorinna500 BC–500 BC · Writersnot measured—
  59. 59ArionArion700 BC–600 BC · Writersnot measured—
  60. 60CraterusCraterus370 BC–321 BC · Writers22 decades
  61. 61NONicolaus of Damascus64 BC–4 · Writers11 decades
  62. 62CCallisthenes360 BC–327 BC · Writers22 decades
  63. 63CalpurniaCalpurnia76 BC–44 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers22 decades
  64. 64Gnaeus NaeviusGnaeus Naevius275 BC–201 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0 decades
  65. 65Sun BinSun Bin400 BC–316 BC · Writersnot measured—
  66. 66StesichorusStesichorus630 BC–555 BC · Writers22 decades
  67. 67LLycophron320 BC–280 BC · Writers22 decades
  68. 68BacchylidesBacchylides516 BC–451 BC · Writers22 decades
  69. 69Quintus Tullius CiceroQuintus Tullius Cicero102 BC–43 BC · Writers0 decades
  70. 70LALucius Accius170 BC–84 BC · Writers0 decades
  71. 71IbycusIbycus600 BC–600 BC · Writers22 decades
  72. 72GLGaius Lucilius180 BC–102 BC · 🇮🇹 Italy · Writers0 decades
  73. 73Aulus HirtiusAulus Hirtius90 BC–43 BC · Writers0 decades
  74. 74Epicharmus of KosEpicharmus of Kos524 BC–435 BC · Writersnot measured—
  75. 75Jia YiJia Yi200 BC–168 BC · Writers6 decades
  76. 76SXSima Xiangru179 BC–117 BC · Writers3 decades
  77. 77EEphorus400 BC–330 BC · Writers22 decades
  78. 78Aristarchus of SamothraceAristarchus of Samothrace217 BC–144 BC · Writers0 decades
  79. 79AgathonAgathon445 BC–400 BC · Writers22 decades
  80. 80Dionysius ThraxDionysius Thrax170 BC–90 BC · Writers4 decades
  81. 81Gaius Cornelius GallusGaius Cornelius Gallus69 BC–26 BC · Writers0 decades
  82. 82Gaius Asinius PollioGaius Asinius Pollio75 BC–4 · Writers0 decades
  83. 83AOAristophanes of Byzantium257 BC–180 BC · Writers10 decades
  84. 84QFQuintus Fabius Pictor254 BC–201 BC · Writers0 decades
  85. 85Lie YukouLie Yukou450 BC–375 BC · Writersnot measured—
  86. 86TimaeusTimaeus345 BC–260 BC · Writersnot measured—
  87. 87HOHellanicus of Mytilene490 BC–405 BC · Writers0 decades
  88. 88MOMeleager of Gadara150 BC–50 BC · Writers0 decades
  89. 89MMimnermus670 BC–600 BC · Writers21 decades
  90. 90ZZenodotus330 BC–260 BC · Writers21 decades
  91. 91Marcus Valerius Messalla CorvinusMarcus Valerius Messalla Corvinus64 BC–8 · Writers0 decades
  92. 92HipponaxHipponax600 BC–600 BC · Writers22 decades
  93. 93AOAntipater of Sidon200 BC–100 BC · Writers0 decades
  94. 94MenippusMenippus300 BC–260 BC · Writers22 decades
  95. 95Consort BanConsort Ban48 BC–6 BC · Writersnot measured—
  96. 96ZoilusZoilus400 BC–320 BC · Writersnot measured—
  97. 97MoschusMoschus200 BC–200 BC · Writersnot measured—
  98. 98Quintus HortensiusQuintus Hortensius114 BC–50 BC · Writers2 decades
  99. 99MTMarcus Tullius Tiro103 BC–4 BC · Writers0 decades
  100. 100ErinnaErinna400 BC–400 BC · Writers20 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.