99 Famous People of Ancient History82

Index

Abraham, Achilles, Adam, Aechylus, Aesop, Ahura Mazda, Akhenaten, Alexander the Great, Allah, Apollo, Archilochus, Archimedes, Aristotle, Aspasia, Athena, Aten, Attila the Hun, Augustus/Octavian, Bridget of Kildare, Cambyses, Charon, Cicero, Cincinnatus, Cleopatra, Constantine, Crassus, Cyrus, Darius, David, Diocletian, Diogenes, Epicurus, Esther, Euripides, Eve, Gilgamech, Hadrian, Hamilcar, Hammurabi, Hannibal, Hasdrubal, Hera, Herodotus, Hesiod, Hippocrates, Homer, Jesus Christ, John the Baptist, Julius Caeser, Juno, Jupiter, Justinian, Marc Antony, Marcus Cato, Mars, Minos, Moses, Muhammad, Mursilis, Nebuchadnezzar, Nefertiti, Nero, Osiris, Ovid, Pericles, Philip II, Plato, Pompey, Pontius Pilate, Ptolemy, Ramses II, Remus, Romulus, Sappho, Sargon, Saul, Seneca, Shalmaneser, Socrates, Solomon, Solon, Sophocles, St. Benedict of Nursia, St. Helena, St. Patrick, St. Paul, St. Peter, Thucydides, Tiberius, Tiberius Gracchus, Tiglath-Pileser, Trajan, Tutankhamen, Virgil, Xerxes, Yahweh, Zeno, Zeus, Zoroaster
Short Descriptions
 

Abraham

Born circa 1900 B.C., Ur, Mesopotamia

Died circa 1725 B.C., Canaan
The revered father of the Hebrew people who enstated the practice of circumcision. 
Believed to be the father of many other Semitic people with many Muslims tracing heritage back to him also. 
Formed a covenant with God that laid the foundations for Judaism. 
Travelled from his home city of Ur in Mesopotamia to the land of Canaan, but is known for strictly abiding by his beliefs and not allowing his family to be changed by the people he lived among.


Achilles

Born circa 1215 B.C., Thessaly

Died circa 1183 B.C., Troy
The legendary hero of the Iliad. Son of a sea nymph, Thetis, and the King of the Myrmidons, Peleus. 
With godly heritage and known for his unstoppable rage Achilles slowly becomes more humanized throughout the Iliad until he dies a mortal death. This is a main theme in the story. 
The Achilles tendon is named after him as that is believed to be the one part of his body that was vulnerable to attack, though that legend didn't begin circulating until the first century A.D. long after the Iliad was written.


Adam

Created circa 10,000-6,000 B.C., Garden of Eden

Died circa 9,000-5,000 B.C., Unknown wilderness (note: the range of Adam's possible creation is vast and is widely disputed among Christian researchers.)
The first human being to inhabit the planet according to Jewish and Christian doctrine. Was made by God out of dust as a perfect and immoral being. 
Adam is the patriarch of the entire human race, with all people believed to be literal descendants of him and his wife, Eve. 
Was the second human to eat the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, plunging humanity into sin. 
Was cast out of the paradisiacal Garden of Eden, where the Tree of Life is kept, and was doomed to toil in the land and eventually die.


Aechylus

Born circa 525 B.C., Eleusis, Attica

Died circa 455 B.C., Gela, Sicily
Famous Greek playwright known as the father of drama. 
Implimented the use of more than one man interacting with the chorus in his plays. (Usually two men). 
Fought against the Persian Emperor Darius in the Battle of Marathon and latter against Xerxes at the Battles of Salamis and Plataea. 
His participation in the war heavily influenced his writing as is shown in his most famous work, The Persian, which recounted the Greek victory at Salamis.


Aesop

Born circa 500 A.D., Samos

Died 460 A.D., Delphi, Greece
Was a slave of a man named Xanthus, but was freed. 
Traveled through Greece telling fables in political circles to sway the changes in government. 
Died at the hands of the Delphians for an unknown reason


Ahura Mazda

Worship Began circa 500 B.C., Media

Worship continues in present day in India
The God of Zoroastrianism or Mazdaism 
Very similar to the Christian and Jewish idea of an uncreated all powerful creator who will vanquish the evil forces at the end of time. 
It is very uncertain as to when the concept of Ahura Mazda arose and most credit it to the religious leader Zoroaster, which hardly helps as it is uncertain when he lived. 
Briefly was believed to be the twin brother of the evil spirit Angra Mainyu and his opposite but equal counterpart. Now, he is believed to be the complete being, with the evil spirit Angra Mainyu and the good spirit Spenta Mainyu the opposite and equal spirits warring within him.


Akhenaten

Born circa 1370 B.C.

Died circa 1336 B.C.
The Heretic Pharaoh. Born as Amenhotep IV, meaning "Amun is satisfied" he changed his name to Akhenaten, "effective spirit of Aten," when he denounced the worship of many gods and established Aten, the sun disk, as the supreme one true God. 
His was believed to be the first attempt at monotheism in the world. 
Is known for having a peculiar body shape that people theorize may be due to any thing from being a hermaphrodite, to having Marfan's syndrome, to him actually being a woman in disguise. 
His forced monotheism seems to have been hated as he moved the capital of Egypt from fertile Thebes to the middle of the desert at el-Amarna; his statues in his tomb were smashed while those of his well loved wife; Nefertiti, remained unharmed; the nation reverted back to polytheism immediately after his short lived dynasty ended with Tutankhamen; and his tomb was left alone out in el-Amarna, instead of being moved to the Valley of the Kings.


Alexander the Great a.k.a Alexander III

Born July, 356 B.C., Macedon

Died June 11, 323 B.C., Babylon
Alexander the Great is known as one of the greatest military minds of all time. 
When Alexander's father, Phillip II, was assassinated, Alexander inherited the newly unified Greece thanks to his father's conquests. 
King Alexander had to quell rebellions twice in the southern parts of Greece before gaining complete control. 
Alexander the Great fulfilled both the prophecy of Daniel (Chapter 8) and the suspicions of the Persians, that a unified Greece would conquer Persia. 
Alexander pushed his army all the way to the boarders of India before being forced to turn back when his own men threatened to rebel. 
Died in Nebuchadnezzar II's palace in Babylon from an unknown illness that lasted 12 days. Some suspect poisoning.


Allah

Worship Began circa 610 A.D., Arabian Peninsula

Worship continues across the world today.
"Allah" translates as, "The One to be worshipped." 
Allah is the God of the Muslim faith. 
Allah is the same God as the Christian and Jewish faiths and Arabic speaking Jews and Christians refer to their God as Allah.


Apollo

Worship Began circa 1,100 B.C. Greece

Worship Ended circa 300 B.C. Rome
An oracular god, Apollo was the patron of the oracle at Delphi. 
He was the sister of Artemis the huntress. 
Apollo was often equated with the sun god, Helio, as his siter was equated with the moon goddess, Selene. 
Unusual among the gods as he had devout cults formed specifically for him. Two cults actually had such a different concept of him that he might as well have been two distinct gods.


Archilochus

Born circa 680 B.C., Paros

Died circa 645 B.C., Thasos
A poet who made his living by public and private recitals of his work. 
Was considered an equal to Homer by his countrymen and statues to each of them were dedicated on the same day. 
Was known for his harsh satire. 
Supposedly at a feast of Demeter he poured out his emotions in a satirical attack against a man who had promised him his daughter but then rescinded. The insults were said to be so shameful that the man and his daughters hung themselves.


Archimedes

Born circa 287 B.C., Syracuse, Sicily

Died circa 212 B.C., Syracuse, Sicily
Regarded as the most important scientists in antiquity, Archimedes was a mathematician, engineer, and physicist. 
Archimedes has legends about him creating ancient super weapon's such as the "Archimedes' Death Ray," which is a humorous name for an invention made of polished metal mirrors that he supposedly used to burn ships, and the "Archimedes' Claw" which was supposedly a crane like device that violently latched onto ships and pulled them upward causing them to sink. 
Archimedes died in the second Punic War. According to tradition, hewas not supposed to be killed but rather captured. However, he enraged a Roman soldier by ignoring him and telling the soldier to go away while he worked on his math and was killed on the spot.


Aristotle

Born 384 B.C., Stagira, Thrace

Died March 7, 322 B.C., Chalcis
Student at Plato's Academy in Athens for 20 years. 
Tutored Alexander the Great for seven years at the request of Philip of Macedon, Alexander's father. 
Founded his own school in Athens known as the Lyceum. 
When the Athenians brought charges against Aristotle, he fled the city saying, "I will not allow them to sin twice against philosophy," which is believed to be a reference to the Athenian execution of Socrates.


Aspasia

Born circa 470 B.C., Miletus, Asia Minor

Died circa 400 B.C., Athens, Greece
Romantically involved with the statesmen, Pericles and Lysicles. 
She was said to be an influential and charismatic speaker. 
The details of Aspasia's life are unknown. She is written about in the works of Plato and has been accused of running a brothel by comic poets.


Athena

Worship began circa 1,000 B.C., Greece

Worship ended circa 300 A.D., Rome
Goddess of wisdom. 
Zeus swallowed Athena's mother, Metis the Titan, whole immediately after impregnating her. 
Unable to die, Athena grew inside of Zeus creating a great pressure on his forehead. She then emerged from his head when Hephaestus, the blacksmith god, broke Zeus's head open to relieve the pressure. 
Often bested Aries the god of war because of her superior wisdom and cuning. 
The Athens take their name from her because, according to myth, she stopped the sea god, Poseidon, from flooding the city and taking it as his own.


Aton a.k.a Aten

Worship began 3000 B.C., Egypt

Worship ended 300 A.D., Egypt
The sun disk and believed to be the creator of all. 
Associated with Amen-Ra or Re the sun god. 
Became less associated with Re when Akhenaton proclaimed Aton to be not only the supreme god, but the only god, which went in opposition to the Amen-Ra priesthood at Thebes.


Attila the Hun

Born circa 406 A.D., Hun Monarch

Died 453 A.D., Danube
Along with his brother Bleda, he inherited the united Hun tribes from their uncle Rugila. 
Continuously caused trouble for the Byzantine Empire by putting them under constant attack. 
His empire stretched from Scandinavia to Armenia. 
Cut a swath clear through Europe, defeating the Gothic-Roman alliance along the way and making his way all the way to Italy to marry Honoria, who he felt had been promised to him. He turned back for no known reason before attacking Rome.


Augustus a.k.a. Gaius Julius Caesar Octavianus

Born September 23, 63 B.C. Rome, Rome

Died August 19, 14 A.D. Nola, Rome
Ruled as an autocrat for 41 years which is longer than any subsequent emperor. 
His rule is considered the dividing line between the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. 
Ended many cival wars within the nation causing a 200 year era of peace known as the Pax Romana. 
Had to fight with Marcus Aurelius to rule after Julius Caesar's death.


Bridget of Kildare

Born 451 A.D., Kildare, Ireland

Died circa 525 A.D. Kildare, Ireland
Was born a pagan but changed her beliefs and converted to Christianity. 
After becoming a nun, her and a group of fellow nuns and monks established a convent in which she eventually became Abbess. 
Kildare had a fire in it that was always kept burning according to pagan religious beliefs. Rather than putting it out, Bridget and her fellow nuns gave it a Christian interpretation, which kept healthy relations with the Druids of the area. 
Many believe she did not actually exist but was a Christianized version of a Celtic goddess, used to help convert pagans.


Cambyses

This is three people in history. He was a little known brother of Cyrus I. Cyrus then named his son Cambyses who became ruler of Anshan under the over lordship of the Median Emperor. He lived from 600 B.C to 559 B.C. in Anshan. His son was Cyrus II or Cyrus the Great. Cyrus the Great then had a son: Cambyses II. Camyses ruled over Babylon under his fathers reign and then when Cyrus died, Cambyses became emperor of Persian. It is unsure of when he was born but he died in either 522 or 523 B.C.


Charon

Era of belief began 1000 B.C., Greece

Era of belief ended 300 A.D., Greece
The ferryman who takes the dead across the river Acheron. 
Charged one obolus coin, which is why many Greeks buried their dead with coins on their tongues. 
Charon is depicted as either a cranky, insulting old man, a winged demon, or a cloaked skeleton.


Cicero (in Latin pronounced Kikero)

Born January 3, 106 B.C., Arpinum, Rome

Died December 7, 43 B.C., Formia, Rome
Lawyer, Statesman, philosopher and orator 
Considered one of Rome's best orators ever. 
Credited for introducing Greek philosophical principles to Rome and created a vocabulary for them in Latin. 
Was beheaded by his own people who had listed him as an enemy of the state by the influence of Marc Antony. It is said that Marc Antony's wife Fulvia took his head, cut out the tongue and stabbed it repeatedly with her hairpin to insult his powerful oratory skills.


Cincinnatus

Born 519 B.C., Rome

Died circa 440 B.C., Rome
Cincinnatus was an early Roman statesman and is considered to be a semi-legendary figure as it is difficult to discern the true events of his life from the exaggerated ones. 
He first became dictator in 458 B.C. at the request of the people so that he could protect them against the Aequi and Volscian tribes that threatened them. 
He came out of retirement and became dictator again in 439 B.C. to stop a revolt by the plebeians.


Cleopatra

Born 69 B.C., Alexandria, Egypt

Died 30 B.C., Alexandria, Egypt
Cleopatra was the last ruler of the Ptolemy dynasty in Egypt, making her of Greek decent. 
She had love affairs with both Julius Caesar and Marc Antony. 
She tried to keep Egypt free of Roman rule through diplomacy. Her efforts failed as she chose to stay by Marc Antony's side when he fought over leadership with Octavian and lost. 
Supposedly she took her own life by having an asp bite her.


Constantine I a.k.a. Constantine the Great

Born February 27, 280 A.D., Naissus

Died May 22, 337 A.D., Rome
Fought against Licinius and many other rivals before becoming the emperor of all Rome. 
Known for being the first to openly embrace Christianity and promote freedom of religion for all. 
Constantine is known for his famous dream in which he say the chi rho, a Greek symbol for Christ, in the sky along with the phrase, "By this sign, you shall concur." It was after this that he won leadership of Rome. 
Rebuilt the city of Byzantium, declaring it to be New Rome. He gave it a senate similar to Rome. He supposedly had many religious relics there to protect it. New Rome was changed to Constantinople where he is buried and eventually became the capital of the Byzantine Empire.


Crassus

Born 115 B.C., Rome

Died 53 B.C., Parthia
One of the richest men in Rome. 
Entered into the First Triumvirate with Pompeius Magnus and Julius Caesar. 
Was defeated at Parthia, which he attacked so that he could match the military strength of Caesar and Pompey, despite the fact he had the aid of the King of Armenia.


Cyrus the Great a.k.a. Cyrus II

Born circa 576 or 590 B.C., Persia

Died 530 B.C., Massagetae
First king of the Persian Empire after leading the Persians to concur the Medes. 
Expanded the empire by concurring Babylon. 
Will always be remembered as the turning point between the Medo-Persian Empire and the Persian Empire.


Darius the Great a.k.a. Darius I

Born circa 549 B.C. Persia

Died circa 485 B.C. Persia
Revised the Persian system of administration and the legal code. 
He twice had to stop revolts in Babylon, three times in Susiana, and also one in Ionia. The last one led to the conflict between Greece and Persia and the Persian defeat at Marathon. 
Divided the empire into provinces under rule of governors. 
Built the new capital of Persepolis. 
Vainly tried multiple times to conquer Greece in retaliation for their assistance in the Ionian rebellion.



David

Born circa 1025 B.C., Bethlehem, Israel

Died circa 965 B.C., Jerusalem, Israel
Complimented in the Bible as "a man after God's own heart" David is regarded as the greatest king in Israel's history. 
He was a warrior king who expanded his country into a small empire conquering any army who opposed him. 
David was renowned for his great fighting prowess and reliance on God which are evident in his slaying of Goliath the giant and of many Philistines throughout his life time. 
Though a righteous man, David sinned terribly by having an affair with a woman named Bathsheba and having her husband killed when he found out she was pregnant. 
He started the tradition of Israelite royalty being from the tribe of Judah. 
The Messiah came from his bloodline as reward for his righteousness.


Diocletian

Born circa 245 A.D., Dioclea

Died circa 312 A.D., Salona
Made many reforms including the establishment of an autocratic government. 
Laid the foundations for the second phase of the Roman Empire, the Tetrarchy. 
Was the first Roman emperor to voluntarily step down from office. Rather then wait until he died, Diocletian retired from being Emperor to grow cabbages.


Diogenes

Again, this is a name that was used by several important historical figures. One a Greek philosopher who lived around 460 B.C. Another philosopher in 412 B.C. Another man was an Athenian educated Seleucian who appeal a fee charged to Athens by the Romans in 155 B.C. The list goes on.


Epicurus

Born 341 B.C., Samos

Died 270 B.C., Athens
He believed, like Democritus before him that there are un-cuttable fundamental particles that make up everything in the universe. 
He taught that the gods do not punish man but that everything is determined by the movement of monads or atoms. 
Taught that pain and pleasure are measurements of what is bad and good.


Esther a.k.a. Hadassah

Born 480 B.C.

Died 420 B.C.
Esther is a very celebrated figure in Jewish society. Her account was so feared by Hitler that he had the book banned because it might rally Jews' spirits. 
She was forced into a contest to determine the new wife of Xerxes, King of Persia. After a year she was found to please him the most and became queen. 
When Xerxes agreed with his advisor, Haman, that all the Jews living among the Persians should be killed, she pleaded for her people, revealing herself to be Jewish and winning the king's favor. 
Is known for approaching the king uninvited. This action would have been punished by death had the king not found favor in her and held his scepter out to receive her.


Euripides

Born 480 B.C., Athens

Died 406 B.C., Macedonia
Famous Greek playwright. 
Is said to be the last of the great tragedians. 
Is thought to have written ninety-five plays in his lifetime.


Eve

Created 10,000-6,000 B.C., The Garden of Eden

Died 9,000-5,000 B.C., Unknown Wilderness
First woman and second human being created. 
Wife of Adam and mother of all humanity. 
First to listen to the snakes advice and disobey God by eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. 
Like her husband, Eve was caste out of the Garden of Eden.


Gilgamesh

Born 2670 B.C.

Died 2610 B.C.
According to the Sumerian king list, Gilgamesh was the fifth kind of Urak.
Is supposedly two thirds god and one third human. 
He was said to have superhuman strength and to have built a wall around his city to defend from threats. 
Supposedly his people diverted the flow of the Euphrates River so they could burry him in the riverbed.


Hadrian

Born January 24, 76 A.D., Rome

Died July 10, 138 A.D., Baiae
A stoic-epicurean emperor. 
The third of the "Five Good Emperors." 
He himself said he was born in Rome in his autobiography, but there is a tradition he was born in Seville, Spain. 
Built Hadrian's Wall in Britannia to protect against the hostile Caledonians. It also showed his will for Rome to work on internal improvements rather than continuing it's conquests.


Hamilcar Barca

Born 270 B.C., Carthage

Died 228 B.C., Hispania
Greatest Carthaginian military leader of his time. 
Had a deep hatred for Rome. 
Began a conquest of Hispania but died before it's completion. 
Hamilcar was the father of the famous Hannibal who he trained to be his successor and instilled his hatred for Rome.


Hammurabi

Born circa 1810 B.C., Babylon

Died circa 1750 B.C., Babylon
Member of the first dynasty of Babylon. 
Hammurabi expanded his Empire less through conquest and more through internal strengthening and diplomacy. 
Hammurabi is best known for his code of law. Before this was written Law was simply mob mentality for peasants and whatever the king says for nobles. But with this code inscribed on a stone monument and placed in a public area for all to see, everyone was held to the same set of laws. Even the king could be held accountable for breaking them.


Hannibal

Born 247 B.C., Carthage

Died 183 B.C., Libyssa
His name means "grace of Baal." Ball was the patron god of Carthage. 
He is best known for crossing the Alps into Italy using Elephants and engaging in a 15 year war there. 
Though he was able to defeat Roman armies time after time, he didn't have enough men to take the capital, which was evident upon entering Italy. He instead traveled around the country defeating their armies and destroying their crops. 
He may have become strong enough to take Rome had his brothers come to his aid, but they were both defeated. 
He returned to Carthage where he defended the city against the Roman counter attack. 
Rome demanded that he be removed from Caryhage because of the thread he posed and so he was exiled to Mesopotamia. They later decided that he should be handed over to them and when Prusias, ruler of the land he was staying in, agreed, he took poison rather than be captured by his enemy.


Hasdrubal

Born circa 240 B.C., Carthage

Died 207 B.C., Gaul
Younger brother of Hannibal and fellow general in the Second Punic War. 
Fought in Hispania while his older brother moved on to Italy. 
Was summoned to Hannibal's aid but never made it past Gaul, being cut down in a battle against two Roman armies. 
His head was severed and thrown into Hannibal's camp to discourage him.


Hera

Worship began 1000 B.C., Greece

Worship ended 300 A.D., Rome
Queen of the gods and wife of Zeus. 
She is the god of marriage. 
Hera is best known for he opposition to Zeus on many matters that even caused fear in the king of the gods. 
She epitomizes the duality between the subservient nature of an ancient woman to her husband and yet the great influence she could have over him.


Herodotus

Born circa 484 B.C., Halicarnassus

Died circa 425 B.C., Athens
Considered the Father of History. 
Wrote The History, a book recounting the most prominent events of the ancient Greek world at the time. 
Traveled as far as Ukraine, Sicily, Italy, and the first cataract of the Nile in Egypt. 
It's believed that his focus in his book on the united Greek forces defeating the Persians, is to criticize the Peloponnesian War, which had recently broke out between Athens and Sparta, the two major contributors in defeating the Persians.


Hesiod

Born circa 730 B.C., Greece

Died circa 670 B.C., Greece
Hesiod was a poet and rhapsode. 
Hesiod lived before recorded history and very little is known about him. 
His writings give insight into ancient Greek mythology, farming, astrology, and time-keeping.



Hippocrates

Born 460 B.C., Kos

Died 370 B.C., Kos
Father of modern day medicine. 
Said to be the first to discern between medicine and philosophy, arguing that illness is not of a supernatural origin. 
Started the Koan style of medicine which focused more on prognosis and treatment then of diagnosis. 
The Hippocratic Oath that all doctors say is named after him for his schools strict professionalism.


Homer

Born circa 730 B.C., Ionia

Died circa 670 B.C., Greece
The most famous Greek poet and rhapsode. 
Like Hesiod, Homer lived before recorded history and little is known about him. 
Credited with the composition of the Iliad and the Odyssey. 
Was believed to be blind and to have recited his verses from memory and possibly in song.


Jesus Christ

Born circa 7 B.C., Bethlehem, Judea

Died circa 25 A.D., Jerusalem, Judea
Called the Christ in Greek or Messiah in Hebrew which means the anointed one. 
Claimed to have been the prophesied redeemer of humanity of Jewish belief. 
Jesus is generally considered to be the most influential person in history as his followers constitute the largest religion in the world: Christianity. 
Was famous for teaching peace and tolerance to all men and for supposedly performing many miracles. 
Was martyred in Jerusalem by Roman officials persuaded by Jews who accused him of heresy for his teachings.


John the Baptist

Born circa 8 B.C., Jerusalem, Judea

Died circa 23 B.C., Jerusalem, Judea
Jesus' cousin who heralded his coming. 
Is believed to have lived in the desert and to have worn camel's skin and eated locusts with honey. 
Baptized people as a symbol of the cleansing they would go through at the coming of the messiah. 
Was imprisoned by King Herod who feared his public influence. Herod's wife and niece then tricked him into having John beheaded.





Julius Caesar

Born July 12, 100 B.C., Rome

Died March 15, 44 B.C., Rome
A great conqueror for Rome, Julius Caesar traveled all over the Mediterranean quelling rebellions. 
After the fighting he was the most powerful general in all of Rome and took the position of Imperator. 
Fearing that he would become to powerful and wishing to maintain a republic and not an empire, many senators attacked and killed Julius Caesar at a senate meeting. 
Two of his killers where Brutus and Cassius, close friends and allies of Caesar.


Juno

Worship began 1000 B.C., Greece

Worship ended 300 A.D., Rome
Juno was the Roman version of the goddess Hera 
Wife of Jupiter and mother of Mars, the god of war who was very important ot the Romans. 
Juno was also a member of the Capitoline Triad along with Jupiter and Minerva. 
The month of June is named after her.


Jupiter a.k.a. Jove

Worship began 1000 B.C., Greece

Worship ended 300 A.D., Rome
Jupiter was the Roman version of Zeus. 
The planet Jupiter is named after him because it was the largest and he was the king of the gods. 
His name comes from Indo-European origin and means "Father god."


Justinian

Born circa 482 A.D., Tauresium

Died November 13-14 565 A.D., Constantinople
Was born a peasant but was raised by his uncle, Justin, who was part of the imperial guard. 
When Emperor Anastasius died, Justin took the thrown with the help of his nephew Justinian and when Justin became senile Justinian became de facto ruler and proper emperor after Justin's death. 
He was the only Roman Emperor to reclaim the territories of the Western Roman Empire and actual succeeded in taking the city of Rome itself. 
He also lead a successful conquest in northern Africa.







Marc Antony

Born January 14, 83 B.C., Rome

Died August 1, 30 B.C., Alexandria, Egypt
Marc Antony was a great supporter of Julius Caesar and, to the dismay of a crowd, tried to place a diadem on his head proclaiming him king. 
He also tried to head off Caesar before he got to the senate chamber where he was to be assassinated to warn him of the plot. 
After Caesar's death Marc Antony competed with Octavian for control of Rome. 
He allied himself with Cleopatra of Egypt, who was also his lover. 
He was defeated by Octavian and committed suicide by falling on his sword under the false impression that Cleopatra had already done so.




Marcus Cato a.k.a. Cato the Elder

Born 234 B.C., Tusculum

Died 149 B.C., Rome
Was a contemporary of Scipio Africanus who he contended with over power. 
Had a successful military career that included fighting against Hannibal Barca in the Second Punic war. 
As consul he lead the Romans to defeat Antiochus the Great and the Seleucid Empire at the Battle of Thermopylea.





Mars

Worship began 1000 B.C., Greece

Worship ended 300 A.D., Rome
The god of war. 
Heavily revered in Roman society because they were such a warlike state. 
Was originally a god of fertility and vegetation but was changed to a god of battle as the empire grew. 
Is believed to come from the Etruscan god of agriculture, Maris.


Minos

Born circa 1500 B.C., Crete

Died circa 1450 B.C., Crete
A legendary character who was the son of Zeus and Europa. 
After becoming the King of Crete he banished his two brothers Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon. 
Lived three generations before the Trojan War. 
Retired to a cave in his old age were he supposedly received instructions from Zeus who introduced to Minos the concept of pederasty which he in turn passed on to the Greek civilizations.















Moses

Born circa 1300 B.C., Egypt

Died 1180 B.C., Canaan