Cato the Elder · Terence Were Cato the Elder and Terence alive at the same time? Yes. Cato the Elder and Terence were alive at the same time, from 190–185 BC to 159 BC. Cato the ElderRoman politician, soldier and writerBorn c. 234 BC · died 149 BCTerenceRoman comic playwright (2nd cent. BC)Born 190–185 BC · died 159 BC ArchimedesEratosthenesQin Shi HuangPlautusHannibalCato the ElderPolybiusTerence Cato the Elder and Terence in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.