Who Was Alive
Scipio Africanus
Miguel Hermoso Cuesta, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Scipio Africanus

Roman military leader and politician

Born c. 235 BC · died 183 BC
Also known as Scipio the Great, Scipio the African, Scipio Africanus the Elder

Who was alive at the same time as Scipio Africanus?

  1. Aristarchus of Samos, c. 310 – c. 230 BC
  2. Ashoka, 304–232 BC
  3. Apollonius of Rhodes, c. 293 – 215 BC
  4. Archimedes, c. 287 – 212 BC
  5. Ptolemy III Euergetes, 284–222 BC
  6. Livius Andronicus, c. 280 – c. 200 BC
  7. Chrysippus, 281–208 BC
  8. Eratosthenes, 276–194 BC
  9. Hamilcar Barca, 275–228 BC
  10. Apollonius of Perga, c. 262 – c. 190 BC
  11. Qin Shi Huang, 259–210 BC
  12. Emperor Gaozu of Han, 256–195 BC
  13. Plautus, 250–184 BC
  14. Hannibal, 247–183 BC
  15. Antiochus III the Great, c. 242 – 187 BC
  16. Ptolemy IV Philopator, 244–204 BC
  17. Ennius, 239–169 BC
  18. Scipio Africanus, c. 235 – 183 BC
  19. Cato the Elder, c. 234 – 149 BC
  20. Antiochus IV Epiphanes, c. 215 – 164 BC
  21. Ptolemy V Epiphanes, 210–180 BC
  22. Polybius, c. 201 – c. 126 BC
  23. Hipparchus, c. 190 – c. 120 BC
  24. Terence, c. 188 – 159 BC

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.

When Scipio Africanus died, Ennius was 55 or 56, Ptolemy V Epiphanes was 26 or 27, Zhang Qian was 16 or 17 and Demetrius I Soter was 3 or 4.

Born during Scipio Africanus’s lifetime: Terence, Polybius, Hipparchus, Antiochus IV Epiphanes, Ptolemy V Epiphanes, Mithridates I of Parthia, Carneades and Cleopatra II.

Not quite contemporaries: Ptolemy II Philadelphus died about 8 years before Scipio Africanus was born, Apollodorus of Athens was born about a year after Scipio Africanus died, Antiochus II Theos died about 8 years before Scipio Africanus was born and Ptolemy VIII Physcon was born about a year after Scipio Africanus died.

What happened in Scipio Africanus’s lifetime

Where Scipio Africanus’s contemporaries were born

Scipio Africanus is labelled; the others are the best-known people we track who lived at the same time. Each dot is a birthplace from Wikidata (36 of 49 placed); tap one to open that person.
Birthplaces as a list

Compare Scipio Africanus

The 48 best-known contemporaries

48 of the people we track were surely alive at the same time as Scipio Africanus. All of them are listed here. See also everyone alive in 208 BC.

  1. Archimedes c. 287 – 212 BC
  2. Qin Shi Huang 259–210 BC
  3. Ashoka 304–232 BC
  4. Hannibal 247–183 BC
  5. Eratosthenes 276–194 BC
  6. Plautus 250–184 BC
  7. Cato the Elder c. 234 – 149 BC
  8. Terence c. 188 – 159 BC
  9. Polybius c. 201 – c. 126 BC
  10. Hipparchus c. 190 – c. 120 BC
  11. Apollonius of Perga c. 262 – c. 190 BC
  12. Aristarchus of Samos c. 310 – c. 230 BC
  13. Ennius 239–169 BC
  14. Emperor Gaozu of Han 256–195 BC
  15. Apollonius of Rhodes c. 293 – 215 BC
  16. Antiochus III the Great c. 242 – 187 BC
  17. Livius Andronicus c. 280 – c. 200 BC
  18. Hamilcar Barca 275–228 BC
  19. Chrysippus 281–208 BC
  20. Ptolemy III Euergetes 284–222 BC
  21. Antiochus IV Epiphanes c. 215 – 164 BC
  22. Ptolemy V Epiphanes 210–180 BC
  23. Ptolemy IV Philopator 244–204 BC
  24. Li Si 280–208 BC
  25. Cleanthes 331–232 BC
  26. Mithridates I of Parthia 195–132 BC
  27. Gnaeus Naevius 275–201 BC
  28. Carneades 213–129 BC
  29. Cleopatra II c. 186 – 116 BC
  30. Seleucus II Callinicus 265–225 BC
  31. Masinissa 238 – c. 149 BC
  32. Philip V of Macedon 238–179 BC
  33. Lucius Aemilius Paullus Macedonicus c. 228 – 160 BC
  34. Perseus of Macedon c. 212 – 166 BC
  35. Modu Chanyu 234–174 BC
  36. Xiang Yu 232–202 BC
  37. Hiero II of Syracuse 308–215 BC
  38. Ctesibius c. 284 – c. 221 BC
  39. Qin Er Shi c. 226 – 207 BC
  40. Attalus I 269–197 BC
  41. Hasdrubal Barca 245–207 BC
  42. Seleucus III Ceraunus 243–223 BC
  43. Eumenes II 221–159 BC
  44. Seleucus IV Philopator 217–175 BC
  45. Zhang Qian 200 – c. 114 BC
  46. Demetrius I Soter 187–150 BC
  47. Berenice II c. 266 – 221 BC
  48. Hasdrubal the Fair 270–221 BC