Historical figures in Athens
The atlas holds 37 people and 64 moments here, from 525 BC to 2014. The most recorded lives are Plato, Socrates and Sophocles. Among them Writers, Philosophers and Political Leaders, across the Ancient World and Classical Greece.
Notable people
Abebe Bikila
in 1961
1 moment here
Ethiopian marathon runner and Imperial Guard officer who won Olympic marathon gold in Rome in 1960 and Tokyo in 1964, both in world-record time.…
Aeschylus
from 525 BC to 480 BC
2 moments here
Ancient Greek tragedian and soldier, born at Eleusis in Attica and active in the Persian Wars.…
Aristophanes
from 446 BC to 424 BC
2 moments here
Athenian comic playwright of Old Comedy. The surviving biographical record is unusually sparse: reliable evidence securely places him in Athens at…
Aristotle
from 367 BC to 335 BC
2 moments here
Ancient Greek philosopher and polymath whose surviving biography is reconstructed from sparse and sometimes conflicting ancient traditions.…
Cicero
from 79 BC to 50 BC
3 moments here
Marcus Tullius Cicero (106–43 BC) was a Roman lawyer, orator, philosopher, consul, provincial governor, and defender of the late Republic.…
Cleopatra
in 32 BC
1 moment here
Cleopatra VII Thea Philopator (born early 69 BC, possibly late 70 BC; died 10 or 12 August 30 BC) was the last active ruler of Ptolemaic Egypt.…
Epicurus
from 323 BC to 270 BC
3 moments here
Ancient Greek philosopher and founder of Epicureanism. The securely documented outline of his movements runs from his birth and upbringing on Samos…
Euripides
from 480 BC to 408 BC
3 moments here
Euripides was an Athenian tragic playwright traditionally born on Salamis around 480 BC and conventionally said to have died in Macedon around 406…
Eusébio
in 1968
1 moment here
Eusébio da Silva Ferreira (1942–2014) was a Portuguese footballer, born in Lourenço Marques (now Maputo), who became Benfica's record goalscorer and…
Gamal Abdel Nasser
in 1960
1 moment here
Egyptian army officer, leader of the 1952 Egyptian Revolution, and president of Egypt from 1954 until his death.…
Gustave Flaubert
in 1850
1 moment here
French novelist and major exponent of literary realism, best known for Madame Bovary, Salammbô, Sentimental Education, Three Tales, and his extensive…
Hadrian
from 124 to 131
4 moments here
Roman emperor from 117 to 138. Hadrian traveled extensively through the Roman Empire, inspecting frontiers and armies, intervening in provincial…
Haile Selassie
in 1924
1 moment here
Haile Selassie I (born Tafari Makonnen) was Emperor of Ethiopia from 1930 until his deposition in 1974.…
Hans Christian Andersen
in 1841
1 moment here
Danish writer renowned for literary fairy tales including “The Little Mermaid,” “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Snow Queen,” and “The Ugly…
Herodotus
in 447 BC
1 moment here
Greek historian and geographer, conventionally dated c. 484–c. 425 BC. The surviving biographical evidence is unusually sparse and often late or…
Horace
in 45 BC
1 moment here
Quintus Horatius Flaccus, known as Horace, was a Roman lyric poet, satirist, and former republican military tribune.…
Javier Pérez de Cuéllar
in 1976
1 moment here
Peruvian diplomat and politician who became the fifth Secretary-General of the United Nations (1982–1991).…
Jiddu Krishnamurti
in 1933
1 moment here
Indian philosopher, speaker, and writer. Raised within the Theosophical Society, he became head of the Order of the Star in the East, dissolved it at…
Li Keqiang
in 2014
1 moment here
Chinese politician and economist who rose from rural labour in Anhui through the Communist Youth League, led Henan and Liaoning, served as vice…
Lord Byron
in 1810
1 moment here
George Gordon Noel Byron, 6th Baron Byron (1788–1824), was a British poet, peer, and political speaker.…
Lucian of Samosata
in 165
1 moment here
Syrian-born Greek-language satirist, rhetorician, and pamphleteer, conventionally dated c. 125 to after 180.…
Marcus Aurelius
in 176
1 moment here
Roman emperor from 161 to 180 and Stoic philosopher. This chronology records securely attested physical presence from his birth and Roman residences…
Mercedes Sosa
in 1986
1 moment here
Argentine folk singer and leading exponent of the nuevo cancionero movement, internationally known for interpreting Latin American popular song and…
Paul the Apostle
in 50
1 moment here
Paul (Saul of Tarsus) was a first-century Jewish Christian apostle and missionary. The chronology below follows the traditional reconstruction used…
Moments
- 525 BC Birth at Eleusis Aeschylus
- 480 BC Military service at Salamis Aeschylus
- 480 BC Birth on Salamis Euripides
- 480 BC Victory paean after Salamis Sophocles
- 469 BC Born in the deme of Alopece Socrates
- 468 BC First Dionysia victory Sophocles
- 455 BC First City Dionysia competition Euripides
- 447 BC Migration to Athens Herodotus
- 446 BC Birth in Athens Aristophanes
- 428 BC Born in Athens Plato
- 424 BC Production of The Knights at the Lenaia Aristophanes
- 420 BC Reception of Asclepius at his house Sophocles
- 408 BC Final competition in Athens Euripides
- 406 BC Mourning appearance at the City Dionysia proagon Sophocles
- 404 BC Summoned to the Tholos by the Thirty Socrates
- 399 BC Attends Socrates’ trial Plato
- 399 BC Appears at the Royal Stoa Socrates
- 399 BC Defends himself at trial Socrates
- 399 BC Spends his final day in the state prison Socrates
- 394 BC Returns to Athens Plato
- 394 BC Studies in the grove of Hecademus Plato
- 383 BC Establishes the Academy Plato
- 367 BC Studies at Plato’s Academy Aristotle
- 366 BC Accompanies Chabrias up the Acropolis Plato
- 365 BC Reunites with Dion at the Academy Plato
- 360 BC Returns permanently to Athens Plato
- 347 BC Dies and is buried at the Academy Plato
- 335 BC Founds his school at the Lyceum Aristotle
- 323 BC Athenian military service Epicurus
- 306 BC Return to Athens and the Garden Epicurus
- 287 BC Celebration at Athens Pyrrhus of Epirus
- 270 BC Death in Athens Epicurus
- 79 BC Studies philosophy at Athens Cicero
- 51 BC Arrives in Athens en route to Cilicia Cicero
- 50 BC Visits Athens on return from Cilicia Cicero
- 45 BC Study at Athens Horace
- 32 BC Joined Antony in Athens Cleopatra
- 19 BC Met Augustus in Athens Virgil
- 50 Preaching and Areopagus appearance at Athens Paul the Apostle
- 66 Studies under Ammonius Plutarch
- 124 Visits Athens on his first imperial Greek tour Hadrian
- 125 Advances the Olympieion program at Athens Hadrian
- 128 Resides in Athens through the winter Hadrian
- 131 Returns to Athens for the Olympieion dedication Hadrian
- 165 Settlement and literary residence in Athens Lucian of Samosata
- 176 Initiation at Athens Marcus Aurelius
- 1810 Writing in Athens Lord Byron
- 1841 Arrives in Athens Hans Christian Andersen
- 1844 Near Eastern tour: Athens William Makepeace Thackeray
- 1850 Quarantine at the Lazaret of Piraeus Gustave Flaubert