NOTE—The names of the world’s greatest masters are set out in CAPITALS in the respective columns. In general the names are placed in the centuries associated with the greatest achievements of each individual.
| Centuries | Religion and Moral Reform Founders of Systems, Great Leaders, Heads of Religious Bodies, Moral and Humane Reformers | Government Rulers, Military Leaders, Statesmen, Publicists, Diplomats, Jurists | Literature Poets, Dramatists, Historians, Orators, Essayists, Novelists | Fine Arts Architects, Sculptors, Painters, Musicians | Philosophy and Education Philosophers, Educators, Psychologists, Moralists, Logicians | Science and Industry Inventors, Discoverers, Engineers, Naturalists, Physicists, Mathematicians, Chemists, Physicians, Biologists |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4000 B. C. to 1000 B. C. | Abraham, Heb. patriarch. MOSES, Heb. lawgiver and leader. Samuel, Heb. judge and leader. ZOROASTER, Persian religious leader and reformer. | Menes, Egyptian king. Lugulzaggisi, Babylonian ruler. Sargon I., Babylonian king. Hammurabi, Babylonian ruler and lawgiver. Khufu (Cheops), Egyptian king. Thothmes I., Egyptian king. Thothmes III., Egyptian king and reformer. Rameses II. (Sesostris), Egyptian king. Amenhotep IV., Egyptian king. | Literature existed in mere fragments until the time of Homer. HOMER, Greek poet. Ptah-hot-ep, Egypt, moralist. | Early architecture, sculpture and painting made notable advances under Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians and Hindus; but no great individual names were connected with it until the time of the Greeks. | Philosophy had its rise among the Egyptians and Hindus, followed by the Greeks. | Astronomy was the first science cultivated in the world. It was known to the Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese. |
| 1000 B. C. to 700 B. C. | Isaiah, Hebrew prophet (8th century B. C.) | David, Hebrew king and poet (10th century B. C.) Solomon, Hebrew king (10th century B. C.) | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 7th Cent. B. C. 700 B. C. to 600 B. C. | Jeremiah, Hebrew prophet. Daniel, Hebrew prophet. | Josiah, king of Judah. Cyaxeres, king of Media. Draco, Greek legislator. | Sappho, Greek poetess. | ... | ... | ... |
| 6th Cent. B. C. 600 B. C. to 500 B. C. | Ezekiel, Hebrew prophet. CONFUCIUS, Chinese moralist. BUDDHA, founder of Buddhism. | Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylonia. Solon, Greek lawgiver. Pisistratus, tyrant of Athens. Croesus, king of Lydia. Cyrus the Great, Persian king. Darius I., king of Persia. | Æesop, Greek fabulist. Anacreon, Greek poet. ÆSCHYLUS, Greek poet. | ... | Thales, Greek philosopher. Pythagoras, Greek philosopher. | ... |
| 5th Cent. B. C. 500 B. C. to 400 B. C. | ... | Xerxes, king of Persia. Hiero, tyrant of Syracuse. Artaxerxes I., king of Persia. Artaxerxes II., king of Persia. Miltiades, Greek general. PERICLES, Greek statesman. Cimon, Greek commander. Themistocles, Greek statesman. | Pindar, Greek poet. Xenophon, Greek historian. HERODOTUS, Greek historian. Euripides, Greek poet. SOPHOCLES, Greek poet. Thucydides, Greek historian. Aristophanes, Greek humorist. | Zeuxis, Greek painter. PHIDIAS, Greek sculptor. Ictinus, Greek architect. Polycletus, Greek sculptor and architect. | SOCRATES, Greek philosopher. | Hippocrates, Greek physician. |
| 4th Cent. B. C. 400 B. C. to 300 B. C. | ... | Philip, king of Macedon. ALEXANDER THE GREAT, Greek conqueror. Ptolemy Soter, governor of Egypt. Seleucus Nicator, king of Syria. Epiminondas, Greek statesman and general. Phocion, Greek general. | DEMOSTHENES, Greek orator. Æschines, Greek orator. Menander, Greek comic poet. | Apelles, Greek painter. Praxiteles. | PLATO, Greek philosopher. ARISTOTLE, Greek philosopher. | EUCLID, Greek geometer. |
| 3rd Cent. B. C. 300 B. C. to 200 B. C. | ... | Pyrrhus, Greek king of Epirus. Ptolemy (Phil), king of Egypt. Antiochus Soter, king of Syria. Ptolemy (Ever.), king of Egypt. Antiochus the Great, king of Syria. Scipio Africanus, Roman general. Fabius Maximus, Roman general. Philopœmen, Greek general. HANNIBAL, Carthaginian general. | Plautus, Roman comic poet. Ennius, Roman poet. Manetho, Egyptian historian. Bion, Greek poet. | ... | Epicurus, Greek philosopher. Zeno, Greek Stoic philosopher. | Archimedes, Greek mechanician. |
| 2nd Cent. B. C. 200 B. C. to 100 B. C. | ... | Judas Maccabæus, Jewish leader. Marius, Roman general. Sulla, Roman general, dictator. Cato, Roman censor. Mummius, Roman general. | Cato, Roman historian. Terence, Roman comic writer. Polybius, Greek historian. | ... | ... | ... |
| 1st Cent. B. C. 100 B. C. to 1 A. D. | JESUS CHRIST, born 4 B. C. | Mithridates the Great, king of Pontus. Cleopatra, queen of Egypt. Herod the Great, king of Judæa. Tigranes I., king of Armenia. Augustus, first Roman emperor. JULIUS CÆSAR, Roman general. Pompey, Roman general. | CICERO, Roman orator. Cæsar, Roman historian. Lucretius, Roman poet-philosopher. Catullus, Roman lyric poet. Sallust, Roman historian. VIRGIL, Roman epic poet. Horace, Roman lyric poet. Livy, Roman historian. | ... | ... | STRABO, Greek geographer. |
| 1st Cent. A. D. 1 A. D. to 100 A. D. | Saint Peter, apostle (?-66). SAINT PAUL, apostle of the Gentiles (10?-65?). | Augustus Cæsar, first emperor of Rome (B. C. 63-A. D. 14). | LIVY (Titus Livius), Roman historian (59 B. C.-17 A. D.). Caius Cornelius Tacitus, Roman historian (55?-after 117?). PLUTARCH, Greek biographer and moralist (49?-120?). | ... | Epictetus, Roman Stoic philosopher (60-120?). | Pliny (Plinius), the elder, Roman naturalist (A. D. 23-79). |
| 2nd Cent. A. D. 100 A. D. to 200 A. D. | ... | Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman emperor and philosopher (121-180). | Lucian, Greek author (120?-200) | ... | Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, Roman emperor, philosopher (121-180). | Claudius Ptolemy, Græco-Egyptian astronomer, geographer (2d C. A. D.). Claudius Galen, Roman physician and medical author (130-200?). |
| 3rd Cent. A. D. 200 A. D. to 300 A. D. | ... | Constantine I., the Great, emperor of Rome (272-337). | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 4th Cent. A. D. 300 A. D. to 400 A. D. | Sophronius Eusebius Jerome, Latin father (345?-420). SAINT AUGUSTINE, Numidian bishop of Hippo (354-430). | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 5th Cent. A. D. 400 A. D. to 500 A. D. | ... | Justinian I., Byzantine emperor (482?-565). | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 6th Cent. A. D. 500 A. D. to 600 A. D. | MOHAMMED, founder of Mohammedanism (571?-632). | ... | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 7th Cent. A. D. 600 A. D. to 700 A. D. | ... | Heraclius, Byzantine emperor (reigned 610-641). Abu-Bekr, first caliph of Mecca (571?-635). | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 8th Cent. A. D. 700 A. D. to 800 A. D. | ... | Haroun al-Rashid, caliph of Bagdad (reigned 786-809). CHARLEMAGNE, or Charles I., emperor of the West and king of France (742-814). Pepin, Le Bref (the Short), king of the Franks (714?-768). Charles Martel, duke of Austrasia (694-741). | Bede, the Venerable, English monk and ecclesiastical historian (672?-735?). Flaccus Albinus Alcuin, English theologian (725?-804). | ... | ... | ... |
| 9th Cent. A. D. 800 A. D. to 900 A. D. | ... | ALFRED THE GREAT, king of the West Saxons (849?-901). Al-Mamun, or Al-Mamoun, caliph of Bagdad, philosopher and astronomer (786-833). | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 10th Cent. A. D. 900 A. D. to 1000 A. D. | ... | Hugh Capet, king of France (940?-996). Otho I., the Great, emperor of Germany (912-973). | Firdusi, Persian poet (died 1020). | ... | Avicenna, Mohammedan physician and philosopher (980-1037). | ... |
| 11th Cent. A. D. 1000 A. D. to 1100 A. D. | GREGORY VII., pope (1018?-1085). | William I., the Conqueror, king of England (1027-1087). | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| 12th Cent. A. D. 1100 A. D. to 1200 A. D. | Saint Bernard, French ecclesiastic (1091-1153). Thomas à Becket, archbishop of Canterbury (1117-1170). Peter Lombard, Italian theologian (1100?-1160?). | Richard I., Cœur de Lion, king of England (1157-1199). Frederick I., Barbarossa, emperor of Germany (1121-1190). | William of Malmesbury, English historian (1095?-1143). | ... | Pierre Abelard, French scholastic and logician (1079-1142). Averroës, Arabian philosopher and physician (1149?-1198). | ... |
| 13th Cent. A. D. 1200 A. D. to 1300 A. D. | SAINT FRANCIS OF ASSISI, Italian friar (1182-1226). Saint Dominic, or Domingo de Gusman, Spanish founder of the order of Dominicans (1170-1221). | Genghis Khan, Mogul conqueror (1163-1227). Simon de Montfort, Earl of Leicester (1200?-1265). Louis IX., Saint Louis, king of France (1215-1270). | DEGLI ALIGHIERI DANTE, Italian poet (1265-1321). | Giovanni Cimabue, father of modern painting, Florentine painter (1240?-1302?). Nicola Pisano, Italian sculptor (1200?-1278). | Albertus Magnus, Bavarian philosopher and schoolman (1193?-1280). John Duns Scotus, Scotch scholastic theologian (1265?-1308). SAINT THOMAS AQUINAS, Italian scholastic philosopher (1225-1274). | Roger Bacon, English monk and scientist (1214-1294). |
- Abraham, Heb. patriarch.
- MOSES, Heb. lawgiver and leader.
- Samuel, Heb. judge and leader.
- ZOROASTER, Persian religious leader and reformer.
- Menes, Egyptian king.
- Lugulzaggisi, Babylonian ruler.
- Sargon I., Babylonian king.
- Hammurabi, Babylonian ruler and lawgiver.
- Khufu (Cheops), Egyptian king.
- Thothmes I., Egyptian king.
- Thothmes III., Egyptian king and reformer.
- Rameses II. (Sesostris), Egyptian king.
- Amenhotep IV., Egyptian king.
- Literature existed in mere fragments until the time of Homer.
- HOMER, Greek poet.
- Ptah-hot-ep, Egypt, moralist.
- Early architecture, sculpture and painting made notable advances under Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians and Hindus; but no great individual names were connected with it until the time of the Greeks.
- Philosophy had its rise among the Egyptians and Hindus, followed by the Greeks.
- Astronomy was the first science cultivated in the world. It was known to the Babylonians, Assyrians, Egyptians, Greeks and Chinese.
- Isaiah, Hebrew prophet (8th century B. C.)
- David, Hebrew king and poet (10th century B. C.)
- Solomon, Hebrew king (10th century B. C.)