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- Socrates. Born between 470 and 469 BC in Deme Alopece, Athens, Socrates is a forerunner in classical Greek philosophy and has been credited as one of the most influential founders of Western philosophy.
- Alexander the Great. Alexander III of Macedon, more commonly and fittingly known as Alexander the Great, was born in Pella, Greece, in 356 BC. He was an illegitimate child, and his heroic deeds have led to legends stating that he was actually the son of Zeus himself, and that he shared a bloodline with Hercules and Perseus.
- Aristotle. There were three pillars who laid the foundation for what we know as Western philosophy, and Aristotle was the youngest of them. A famous Greek philosopher and polymath, he gained all his knowledge and wisdom under the mentorship of Plato and later on tutored the likes of Alexander the Great.
- Plato. One of the most influential figures in ancient philosophy, Plato, was born somewhere around 428 BC or 423 BC in Athens. A student of Socrates, another philosophy legend from ancient Greece, he was named Aristocles by birth, but later earned the nickname of Platon (meaning broad) courtesy of his broad build.
- Euclid
- Solon
- Archimedes
- Hippocrates
- Homer
- Pythagoras
- Plato
- Alexander The Great
- Aristotle
- Socrates
Known as Euclid of Alexandria, Euclid (born in mid-4thcentury BC) was a famous ancient Greek mathematician whose enormous contributions to geometry helped earn him the title “Founder of Geometry”. He is believed to have lived during the reign of Ptolemy I of Soter, the first Ptolemaic ruler of Egypt. His critical discussions and theories in his ver...
A member of the famous Seven Wise Men of Greece, Solon(c. 630 BCE – c. 560 BCE) was perhaps the most influential statesman of ancient Greece. Doubling as a poet and lawmaker, Solon is best remembered for his immense contribution in setting up democracy in ancient Athens. Solon and his associates fought against an aristocratic system that had for de...
Ancient Greek inventor, mathematician and innovator Archimedes(c. 287 BCE – c. 212 BCE) famously came out with numerous theories in mathematics. He is famous for bellowing the word ‘Eureka’ after coming out with a groundbreaking mathematical principle while in his bathtub. Other works of this Syracuse, Sicily-born scientist covered areas in levers,...
Famed ancient Greek philosopher and physician Hippocrates(c. 460 BCE – c. 370 BCE) is generally referred to as the “father of medicine” and most known for coming out with the Hippocratic Oath, a seminal document on the ethics that a medical worker ought to follow when carrying out his/her duties. Even to this day, it is not uncommon for medical stu...
It comes as no surprise that Homer, the famed ancient Greek author and epicist, appears on the list of the greatest individuals of ancient Greece. Homer’s works, particularly the Iliad and the Odyssey, are considered by many as the two greatest epic poems to come from ancient Greece. Since they were released around the 8th or 9thcentury BCE, those ...
Coming in fifth on this list of most famous ancient Greeks is the mathematician and philosopher Pythagoras. A gifted thinker and innovator, Pythagoras of Samos (c. 570 BCE – c. 490 BCE) is believed to have profusely studied the works of ancient scholars and mathematicians of ancient Mesopotamia before coming out with or adapting some groundbreaking...
A student of the great philosopher Socrates, Plato(c. 428-c. 348 BCE) wrote extensively in numerous disciplines to the extent that his name to some extent rivaled that of his teacher’s. This Greek philosopher is credited with putting down in writing the ideas and philosophies of Socrates, who by the way was said to be an illiterate. Inspired by the...
Son of King Philip II of Macedon, Alexander the Great(c. 356 BCE – 323 BCE) was the greatest conqueror the world has ever known as he was responsible for stretching his empire from western Mediterranean all the way to some part of present-day India. A truly phenomenal military commander, Alexander the Great inherited the throne in his early 20s and...
The famous Greek polymath Aristotle(384 BCE -322 BCE) once described an uneducated person as one who lived in the perpetual confines of the land of the dead. Born to parents who were renowned scholars in their own right, Aristotle started his education right from an early age, learning disciplines such as philosophy, medicine, politics and ethics. ...
Born around 469 BCE, Socrateswas an ancient Greek philosopher most remembered for introducing a particular way of thinking to the ancient Greeks. His ideas were considered heretic for its time as it destabilized centuries’ old status quo. Even though Socrates (469-399 BCE) did not or perhaps could not write down any of his philosophies, those philo...
- Elinor Evans
- Solon, c630–c560 BC. One of the innovations the ancient Greeks are most famed for is democracy – a political system of ruling by the people as opposed to by a monarch or dictator – and its grandfather is considered to be the Athenian magistrate Solon.
- Hippocrates, c460–c375 BC. Unusually for the ancient world, physician and philosopher Hippocrates believed that illnesses had rational rather than supernatural explanations.
- Sophocles, c496–406 BC. As much as we love a laugh when we go to the theatre, there's something about a tragic story that appeals and pulls at the heartstrings, and we have the Athenians to thank for the genre of tragedy.
- Sappho, c630–570 BC. Thought to have been born in the late seventh century BC on the island of Lesbos, poet Sappho was from an aristocratic family. On Lesbos, she ran an academy for young unmarried women devoted to Eros and Aphrodite – the god and goddess of love.
Ancient Greece was one of the greatest civilizations in history. They put an emphasis on the value of the person and education. It was their people that made them great. Here are 25 of the most famous people from Ancient Greece: Greek Philosophers. Socrates - First of the great Greek Philosophers.
Apr 27, 2020 · The ancient Greeks left the world such an impressive legacy of ideas that many of them were seen for centuries in the civilizations that followed and, even today, cultures around the world continue to display many of the quintessential features of life in ancient Greece.
- Mark Cartwright
- Publishing Director
Oct 19, 2023 · We have the ancient Greeks to thank for things like present-day democracy, libraries, the modern alphabet, and even zoology. Here are some notable Greek figures—from philosophers to mathematicians and scientists —and how they have shaped the world we know today.
Discover 15 famous Greek people and personalities over the centuries, in Greece: from Alexander the Great and Socrates to El Greco, Kazantzakis, Cavafy and more.
