Ferdowsi · Avicenna Were Ferdowsi and Avicenna alive at the same time? Yes. Ferdowsi and Avicenna were alive at the same time, from AD 977–983 to c. 1020. FerdowsiPersian poet, author of ShahnamehBorn 3 January AD 940 · died c. 1020AvicennaPersian polymath, physician and philosopherBorn AD 977–983 · died 18 June 1037 FarabiFerdowsiIbn al-HaythamLeif EriksonAl-BiruniAvicennaWilliam the Conqueror Ferdowsi and Avicenna 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.