Historical Figures of Classical Antiquity (China, India & Greece)

An Shigao & Lokaksema*

(148 - 180 C.E.) / (147 - 189 C.E.) Early Buddhist missionaries from India to China and the earliest known translators of Indian Buddhist texts into Chinese.

Emperor Han Wudi (Emperor Wu)

(157-87 B.C.E.) One of the greatest emperors in all of Chinese history, Emperor Wu once again made China a Confucian state, he successfully repelled Xiongnu invaders and sent numerous trade missions to central Asia that would help establish the routes for the Silk Road.

Darius III of Persia

(380 - 330 B.C.E.) The last ruler of Achaemenid Persia, who fought against Alexander the Great. Although he would engaged Alexander in three battles - (Granicus, Issus and Gaugamela), Darius would lose each time. He was ultimately murdered by Bessus, a Satrap (regional governor) in Bactria - fleeing east after losing the Battle of Gaugamela.

Chandra Gupta II

(380 - 415 C.E.) One of the most powerful emperors of the Gupta Empire, he continued the expansionist military policies of his father, but also encouraged the creation of new art, architecture and sculpture. Under his reign, the Gupta Empire reached its cultural apex.

Chandragupta Maurya

(321 - 298 B.C.E.) The founder of the Maurya Empire. Chandragupta Maurya established the first empire in the Indian subcontinent and the first centralized government since the ancient Harappan civilization which collapsed in 1300 B.C.E.

Megasthenes

(350 - 290 B.C.E.) Greek ambassador from the Seleucid Empire of Persia, who wrote detailed descriptions of Chandragupta Maurya's capital city of Pataliputra.

Hephaestion*

(356 - 324 B.C.E.) An ancient Macedonian general in the army of Alexander the Great. He was Alexander's closest childhood friend and mostly likely one of Alexander's lovers as well.

Seleucus I Nicator

(358 - 281 B.C.E.) Founder of the Seleucid Dynasty of Persia - a Macedonian officer under Alexander. Took control of Babylonia, Persia and Asia Minor after Alexander's death.

Ptolemy I Soter

(367 - 282 B.C.E.) A Macedonian general and childhood friend of Alexander the Great, who became ruler of Egypt and founder of the Ptolemaic Dynasty - which would end with the rule of Cleopatra VII in 30 B.C.E.

Aristotle

(384-322 B.C.E.) A Greek philosopher who was a former pupil of Plato. He would ultimately become the teacher of Alexander the Great and his theories on knowledge would be based on observation of phenomena in the material world. He is also one of the earliest taxonomists in history.

Plato

(430 - 347 B.C.E.) A disciple of Socrates whose cornerstone of thought was his Theory of Forms, in which, he believed, there was another world of perfection that human senses could not perceive. (He is also known for creating the myth of Atlantis)

Alcibiades

(450 - 404 B.C.E.) An Athenian nobleman who persuaded Athenian assembly to embark on the disastrous Sicilian expedition during the Peloponnesian War. He was later banished from Athens for the failure of this expedition. He then switched sides from Athens to Sparta. Then Sparta to Persia and back to Athens again! He would later be assassinated (Wow! What a shock!)

Socrates

(470 - 399 B.C.E.) An Athenian philosopher who thought that human beings could lead honest lives and that honor was far more important than wealth, fame, or other superficial attributes. Noted for created the "Socratic Method". He was ultimately forced to commit suicide by the Athenian state for "corrupting the youth of Athens".

Pericles

(495 - 429 B.C.E.) An Athenian leader noted for advancing democracy in Athens and for ordering the construction of the Parthenon through funds appropriated by the Delian League.

Xerxes

(519 - 465 BC.E.) King of Achaemenid Persia following the death of his father, Darius the Great. His armies invaded Greece in 480 B.C.E. but were eventually defeated by a united front of Greek city-states.

Darius the Great

(550 - 486 B.C.E.) A king of Achaemenid Persia who expanded the Empire into Ionia. After Athens and Eretria funded a rebellion of Ionian city-states (the Ionian Revolt). Darius, furious at the Athenians, would use this as a cause to invade Greece, but was defeated at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C.E.

Sappho of Lesbos*

(7th century B.C.E.) a Greek lyrical poet who wrote love poems describing her own feelings of attraction for other women.

Qin Shi Huangdi

(r.221-210 BCE) Born Ying Zheng, he was the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty who believed strongly in Legalism and sought to strengthen the centralized China through public works.

Alexander the Great

Between 334 and 323 B.C.E. he conquered the Persian Empire, reached the Indus Valley, founded many Greek-style cities, and spread Greek culture across the Middle East.

Wang Mang

A Han court official who usurped the throne and ruled from 8 C.E. to 23 C.E.; noted for his reform movement that included the breakup of large estates.

Achilles*

A legendary Greek warrior who fought in the Trojan War - the son of Peleus, king of Phthia and a sea nymph, Thetis. As his mother dipped him in the River Styx as an infant, he was immortal, except for a small spot on his heel where his mother held him to dip in the river.

King Minos

A legnedary king of the Minoans, who legend has it, owned a half-human, half-bull monster called the "Minotaur" which he kept in a maze designed by the legendary architect Daedalus.

Ban Zhao

A major female Confucian author of Han dynasty China (45-116 C.E.) whose works give insight into the implication of Confucian thinking for women.

Liu Bei*

A southern warlord during the Three Kingdoms Period following the collapse of the Han Dynasty. He would combine forces with Sun Quan to defeat Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 C.E. He would ultimately crown himself as Emperor Shu of Han.

Draco

An Athenian lawmaker whose code of laws prescribed death for almost every offense (circa 7th century B.C.E.) This is where were get the term "Draconian Law" which means "harsh law".

Solon

An Athenian reformer of the 6th century B.C.E.; established laws that eased the burden of debt on farmers, forbade enslavement for debt and generally were less harsh than Draco's.

Li Si

An advisor to Shi Huangdi and a strict Legalist. Li Si insisted that the will of the ruler was supreme, and that is was necessary to impose discipline and obedience on the subjects through the rigid applications of harsh punishments

Cleisthenes of Athens

An ancient Athenian lawgiver credited with reforming the constitution of ancient Athens and creating the institution of democracy around 508 B.C.E.

Jing Ke*

An assassin sent from the state of Wei, who attempted to assassinate Qin Shi Huangdi by hiding a knife in a scroll. Ultimately the attempt failed and the state of Wei was crushed by Qin in revenge.

Bucephalus*

Alexander the Great's horse, who he won it bet with his father. Alexander would ride Bucephalus into every single battle he ever waged, and when he died in 326 B.C.E., Alexander named a city along the Hydaspes River after him - Bucephala.

Liu Bang (Emperor Han Gaozu)

Also known as Emperor Han Gaozu, he was the first emperor of the Han Dynasty under which a new social and political hierarchy emerged. He chose his ministers from educated men with Confucian principals.

Sun Quan*

Another southern warlord from the Three Kingdoms Period, who combines forces with Liu Bei to defeat Cao Cao at the Battle of Red Cliffs in 208 C.E. He would declare himself Emperor Da of Wu.

Gan Ying*

Emperor Wu's ambassador who was sent to make contact with Rome. Made it to the Persian Gulf ports where he heard about Rome from Parthian sailors and reported that the Romans were "strikingly similar to the Chinese."

Kautilya

Political advisor to Chandragupta Maurya; one of the authors of Arthashastra and a firm believer in scientific application of warfare.

Cao Cao*

Prime Minister of the Han empire. Very ambitious, manipulative, and wanting to build his own empire. He ultimately helped establish the state of Wei, when his son Cao Pi was declared Emperor Cao Wei following his death.

Philip II of Macedon

The King of Macedonia from 359 - 336 B.C.E. Philip would ultimately take advantage of the chaos caused after the end of the Peloponnesian War and unite all of Greece in attempts to invade Persia. He was noted for also only having one eye, as the other was poked out by an arrow during a siege.

Hanfeizi

The founder of Legalism. Hanfeizi believed that people were intrinsically horrible and they could only be controlled through strict laws with harsh punishments.

Leonidas

The legendary king of Sparta and hero of the battle of Thermopylae. Leonidas would lead 300 Spartans into battle against an enormous Persian force, to block the Persian land invasion of Greece, while the Athenian navy engaged the Persian navy at Salamis. Leonidas and the 300 were ultimately killed by the Persians in 480 B.C.E., but would stall the invasion force just long enough for the Greeks to muster their forces and defeat the Persians a year later, at the Battle of Plataea (479 B.C.E.).

Lycurgus of Sparta

The legendary lawgiver of Sparta who established the military-oriented reformation of Spartan society in accordance with the Oracle of Apollo at Delphi.

Ashoka

Third ruler of the Mauryan Empire in India (ruled from 270 - 232 B.C.E.). He converted to Buddhism following the Battle of Kalinga and wrote new edicts and laws on inscribed stones and pillars, the earliest surviving Indian writing.