Claim profile
2000–1001 BC

The 2nd millennium BC

Whose working lives fell in the 2nd 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 2nd millennium BC, ranked where Wikipedia coverage and readership agree.

CountryAll🇪🇬 Egypt🇨🇳 China🇮🇱 Israel🇬🇧 United Kingdom
FieldAllHistorical FiguresPoliticiansReligious FiguresWritersModelsArtistsAcademicsArchitectsScientistsMusicians
  1. 1TutankhamunTutankhamun1343 BC–1324 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Models8 decades
  2. 2NefertitiNefertiti1370 BC–1330 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt10 decades
  3. 3AkhenatenAkhenaten1400 BC–1336 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt13 decades
  4. 4HatshepsutHatshepsut1507 BC–1458 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Politicians13 decades
  5. 5Seti ISeti I1323 BC–1279 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Politicians15 decades
  6. 6Amenhotep IIIAmenhotep III1400 BC–1351 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Historical Figures15 decades
  7. 7Ramesses IIIRamesses III1217 BC–1155 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Historical Figures7 decades
  8. 8NefertariNefertari1290 BC–1255 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Historical Figuresnot measured—
  9. 9Ramesses IRamesses I1300 BC–1290 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Historical Figures0 decades
  10. 10HoremhebHoremheb1350 BC–1292 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Politicians13 decades
  11. 11AyAy1400 BC–1400 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Historical Figuresnot measured—
  12. 12AnkhesenamunAnkhesenamun1348 BC–1322 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt2 decades
  13. 13TiyeTiye1398 BC–1338 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Historical Figures5 decades
  14. 14MeritatenMeritaten1400 BC–1400 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Religious Figuresnot measured—
  15. 15SenenmutSenenmut1600 BC–1463 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Architects3 decades
  16. 16TjuyuTjuyu1400 BC–1370 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt0 decades
  17. 17RekhmireRekhmire1500 BC–1500 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Religious Figures3 decades
  18. 18IneniIneniborn 1550 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Architects1 decades
  19. 19AnenAnen1500 BC–1400 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt2 decades
  20. 20Mentuhotep VIMentuhotep VIdied 1655 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Politiciansnot measured—
  21. 21SSSekhemre Shedwastdied 1550 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Politiciansnot measured—
  22. 22ParenneferParenneferdied 1340 BC · 🇪🇬 Egyptnot measured—
  23. 23MayMayborn 1350 BC · 🇪🇬 Egyptnot measured—
  24. 24KKhuwytborn 1950 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Musiciansnot measured—
  25. 25NeferkheperuhesekheperNeferkheperuhesekheperdied 1400 BC · 🇪🇬 Egypt · Politiciansnot 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.