Diophantus

Roman mathematician

Born c. AD 200 · died c. AD 284
Also known as Diophantus of Alexandria

Who was alive at the same time as Diophantus?

Drag across the timeline, or use the arrow keys, to see who was alive in any year and the age each person reached that year. Dashed lines mark world events. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.

Born during Diophantus’s lifetime: Constantine the Great, Plotinus, Diocletian, Saint George, Aurelian, Elagabalus, Pope Sixtus II and Severus Alexander.

Not quite contemporaries: Athanasius of Alexandria was born about 9 years after Diophantus died, Commodus died about 5 years before Diophantus was born, Didius Julianus died about 4 years before Diophantus was born and Pertinax died about 4 years before Diophantus was born.

What happened in Diophantus’s lifetime

Battle of Red Cliffs AD 208

Where Diophantus’s contemporaries were born

Diophantus is labelled; the others are the best-known people we track who lived at the same time. Each dot is a birthplace from Wikidata (70 of 81 placed); tap one to open that person.

Birthplaces as a list

Diophantus: Alexandria
Septimius Severus: Leptis Magna
Nagarjuna: South India
Clement of Alexandria: Athens
Macrinus: Cherchell
Pope Cornelius: Rome
Origen: Alexandria
Caracalla: Lugdunum
Pope Dionysius: Roman Empire
Pope Fabian: Rome
Decius: Martinci
Philip the Arab: Shahba
Elagabalus: Rome
Plotinus: Asyut
Severus Alexander: Tell Arqa
Pope Sixtus II: Greece
Aurelian: Sirmium
Diocletian: Doclea
Arius: Cyrenaica
Anthony the Great: Coma
Eusebius: Caesarea Maritima
Constantine the Great: Niš
Saint George: Kayseri
Constantius Chlorus: Dardania
Valerian: Roman Empire
Mani: Ctesiphon
Pope Marcellus I: Rome
Maximinus Thrax: Thrace
Helena, mother of Constantine I: Helenopolis
Saint Valentine: Terni
Claudius Gothicus: Sremska Mitrovica
Gordian I: Phrygia
Gordian III: Rome
Licinius: Felix Romuliana
Porphyry of Tyre: Tyre
Saint Sebastian: Narbonne
Ardashir I: Istakhr
Geta: Rome
Saint Lawrence: Osca
Maximian: Sirmium
Aemilianus: Djerba
Probus: Sirmium
Galerius: Dacia
Tacitus: Terni
Trebonianus Gallus: Perugia
Quintillus: Sirmium
Agatha of Sicily: Catania
Saint Barbara: Nicomedia
Maxentius: Rome
Zenobia: Palmyra
Hippolytus of Rome: Anatolia
Cecilia of Rome: Rome
Carus: Narbonne
Zhuge Liang: Yinan County
Florianus: Terni
Iamblichus: Qinnasrin
Hostilian: Sremska Mitrovica
Maximinus Daza: Gamzigrad
Numerian: Nicomedia
Ulpian: Tyre
Guan Yu: Yanhu District
Herennius Etruscus: Pannonia
Cao Pi: Bozhou
Gregory the Illuminator: Armenia
Saloninus: Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium
Sun Quan: Zhejiang
Novatian: Phrygia
Pope Alexander I of Alexandria: Alexandria
Herodian: Roman Empire
Paul of Thebes: Egypt

Compare Diophantus

The 88 best-known contemporaries

88 of the people we track were surely alive at the same time as Diophantus. All of them are listed here. See also everyone alive in AD 242.

Constantine the Great c. AD 272 – AD 337
Nagarjuna c. AD 150 – c. AD 250
Plotinus AD 205 – AD 270
Tertullian c. AD 160 – c. AD 240
Diocletian 240s – AD 316
Saint George AD 275 – c. AD 303
Septimius Severus AD 146 – AD 211
Caracalla AD 188 – AD 217
Aurelian AD 214 – AD 275
Elagabalus AD 203 – AD 222
Origen c. AD 184 – AD 254
Pope Sixtus II c. AD 215 – AD 258
Pope Dionysius c. AD 200 – AD 268
Severus Alexander AD 208 – AD 235
Pope Cornelius c. AD 180 – AD 253
Pope Fabian c. 200s – AD 250
Arius 250s – AD 336
Eusebius c. AD 265 – c. AD 340
Macrinus c. AD 164 – AD 218
Decius AD 201 – AD 251
Anthony the Great AD 251 – c. AD 357
Clement of Alexandria c. AD 150 – c. AD 215
Philip the Arab c. AD 204 – AD 249
Constantius Chlorus AD 250 – AD 306
Valerian c. AD 199 – c. AD 265
Mani c. AD 216 – c. AD 276
Pope Marcellus I AD 255 – AD 309
Maximinus Thrax AD 173 – AD 238
Helena, mother of Constantine I c. AD 250 – AD 330
Saint Valentine AD 175 – AD 273
Claudius Gothicus AD 214 – AD 270
Cao Cao AD 155 – AD 220
Gordian I AD 159 – AD 238
Gordian III AD 225 – AD 244
Licinius c. AD 263 – AD 325
Gallienus c. AD 218 – AD 268
Porphyry of Tyre c. AD 233 – c. AD 301
Saint Sebastian c. AD 255 – AD 287
Ardashir I AD 180 – c. AD 242
Geta AD 189 – AD 211
Cyprian c. AD 200 – AD 258
Saint Lawrence AD 225 – AD 258
Maximian c. AD 245 – AD 310
Aemilianus AD 207 – AD 253
Probus AD 232 – AD 282
Galerius AD 258 – AD 311
Balbinus AD 178 – AD 238
Tacitus AD 200 – AD 276
Trebonianus Gallus AD 206 – AD 253
Quintillus AD 212 – AD 270
Agatha of Sicily AD 235 – AD 261
Saint Barbara AD 273 – AD 306
Maxentius AD 278 – AD 312
Gordian II 190s – AD 238
Zenobia c. AD 240 – AD 274
Hippolytus of Rome c. AD 170 – AD 235
Cecilia of Rome c. AD 200 – c. AD 230
Diadumenian AD 208 – AD 218
Carus c. AD 222 – AD 283
Zhuge Liang AD 181 – AD 234
Florianus AD 232 – AD 276
Iamblichus c. AD 245 – c. AD 325
Carinus AD 250 – AD 285
Hostilian c. AD 232 – AD 251
Lactantius c. AD 240 – c. AD 320
Maximinus Daza AD 270 – AD 313
Volusianus AD 230 – AD 253
Numerian AD 254 – AD 284
Ulpian AD 170 – AD 228
Guan Yu AD 160 – AD 220
Herennius Etruscus c. AD 227 – AD 251
Cao Pi AD 187 – AD 226
Gregory the Illuminator AD 239 – c. AD 327
Saloninus AD 242 – AD 260
Liu Bei AD 161 – AD 223
Sun Quan AD 182 – AD 252
Novatian AD 220 – AD 258
Pope Alexander I of Alexandria AD 250 – AD 326
Herodian c. AD 170 – c. AD 250
Paul of Thebes c. AD 227 – c. AD 342
Papinian AD 142 – c. AD 212
Vologases V AD 130 – AD 208
Januarius AD 272 – AD 305
Dionysius of Alexandria AD 190 – AD 264
Liu Hui c. AD 225 – c. AD 295
Arnobius AD 255 – AD 327
Saint Marinus AD 275 – AD 366
Sextus Julius Africanus c. AD 160 – c. AD 240