History is crossed by the historical processes that are the engines of human history, but within these processes people have always stood out for some quality and, thanks to it, have helped make history different since they have appeared in the world. So in this section of AboutHistory we’ll see who those were key characters in the story.
Characters of Ancient Greece
Plato (ca. 427-347 BC)
It was one of the most important philosophers in history of Humanity. Born into an aristocratic Athenian family, Plato was a disciple of the famous philosopher Socrates and was also a teacher of the no less important Aristotle. He founded the famous Athenian Academy focused on philosophical study and discussion.
With a creation based on dialogue, Plato dealt with universal themes that encompassed, in addition to philosophy, other disciplines such as ethics, psychology or politics, among many. One of his best known works is “The Republic”, where he talks about the government and ideal structure of the city. Finally, he has gone down in history especially for his theories about the intelligible world, which is the authentic one, and the perceptible world, which is the one we know and which is not the real one, the soul being the link between the two. worlds. It is in the first of these worlds, which we can only intuit, where ideas reside, the perfect form of concepts.
Plato’s ideas had a great later influencebeing very important in Roman culture, in rationalist ideas and even in the conception of Christianity, to cite just a few examples.
Pericles (495-429 BC)
Pericles was a athenian politician who is considered one of the main figures linked to the famous democracy of Athens. So important was Pericles in his time that the years in which he ruled are commonly called “the Age of Pericles.”
During his government, the Athenian Empire reached its zenith, the Athenian idea of government was the most prominent in Greece and its colonies and the city was completely renovated, building such important works as the Parthenon or the legendary statue of Athena by Phidias under its auspices. His death, shortly after beginning the war against Sparta, would mark the beginning of the decline of the great Athens of the 5th century, remembered for its democracy, culture and art sponsored by Pericles.
Homer (VIII century BC)
Homer is one of the historical characters about whom there is not much information, but who has reached our days, still leaving his influence, with the two great epic poems of ancient Greece, the Iliad and the Odyssey. Despite the time that has passed, there are still those who question his existence and others who affirm that his place of birth was disputed -Chios, Izmir, Colophon, Athens, Rhodes, Salamina or Argos are some of them-, since it is still still a mystery.
They say that Homer’s first name would be Melesigenes. From an early age he would stand out in the arts but an illness blinded him, and from there he would begin to be called Homer.
His figure was not only relevant as a poet, in Greece he was also associated with the figure of the teacher and philosophereven from a guide, because his two great works did not have a mere entertainment purpose, but rather their more than 27,000 verses were full of teachings.
Alexander the Great (356 BC – 323 BC)
Alexander the Great, also known as Alexander the great. Alexander III of Macedonia, was King of Macedonia, Hegemon of Greece, Pharaoh of Egypt and Great King of Media and Persia. From a very young age he was instructed militarily by his father Philip II of Macedon and, intellectually, he was entrusted to Aristotle.
His reign lasted thirteen years and during that time he changed the entire political and cultural structure of the territory in which he ruled, being a time that continues to be known as the Hellenistic or Alexandrian period and that began after his death.
It is certainly considered as the most important Macedonian king and is compared to Julius Caesar. His conquests were so extensive that he is still treated as a legend, dead at 33 years of age.
Characters of Ancient Rome
Julius Caesar (100-44 BC)
Although there are many famous characters in the history of Rome, Julius Caesar is undoubtedly one of the most prominent. Precursor of what would be the mighty Roman empire In the hands of the first emperor, his nephew Augustus, Julius Caesar was one of the most outstanding politicians, soldiers and conquerors in Universal History.
Under his direction, the conquest of territories as different as Gaul and Hispaniareached Great Britain, began the Roman incursion into Germania and addressed the domination of Egypt and Dacia, which were completed later.
Likewise, Julio César showed signs of great culture and left us various written works in which he recounted contemporary vicissitudes, such as his famous “De Bello Gallico”, to cite just one example. Julius Caesar accumulated all kinds of appointments and honorssponsored by his military, diplomatic and political victories but, when many representatives of the Roman Republic considered that he was going to start exercising power totally alone after the defeat of the other two members of his triumvirate, Pompey and Crassus, he was assassinated in the year 44 BC
Emperor Constantine (272-337 AD)
Emperor of Rome, he is known as Constantine the Great for his great military achievements, but he is especially remembered because he was the ruler who proclaimed, in the year 313 AD. C., the well-known Edict of Milan, in which the practice of the Christian religion was legalized for the first time.
It was also the first christian emperor, although he was not baptized until he was on his deathbed and his protection of this faith allowed it to experience an expansion never seen before. Likewise, he created an important legislative apparatus (the so-called laws of Constantine), reformed the army and experienced great victories, especially in his clashes against the Germans and the Persians, which allowed him to further expand the limits of the powerful Roman Empire.
Agrippina the Younger (15 – 59)
Agrippina, known as Agrippina the Less to differentiate her from her mother, went down in history as a woman who was capable of staining her hands with blood (not only making tribulations and manipulations like other Roman women) so that her children could reach the throne of the Roman empire.
Agrippina married Lucius Domitius and they had Nero; astrologers had already predicted that this son would attain the throne but with the warning that he would kill his mother. She this, before such notice, they say that she replied “That he kills me, as long as he reigns”.
She was one of the most powerful women in the Roman Empire, with very extensive family ties within the imperial house and, despite the fact that many died under intrigue, she managed to survive at the time. Still, she was banished by her brother Caligula upon learning that he was plotting to dethrone him, but when he was assassinated, she returned and did her best to marry her uncle Claudio (already married to Messalina).
It is believed that he assassinated the old Claudius and ensured that his son Nero came to the throne. Despite all the shenanigans he made of her, Nero distanced himself from her and did not allow himself to be manipulated by her mother; was even more evident when she appeared in her Poppaea’s life, who convinced him to kill her and managed to do it after several frustrated attempts, accusing her of treason.
Julia Domna (170 – 217)
Empress Julia Domna was one of the women who achieved more power during the Roman Empire. Born in the province of Syria, she was the second wife of Lucius Septimius Severus (he decides to marry her when he knows that an oracle has stated that she will marry a man who will become emperor) and with him she had two children Lucius Septimius Basianus – better known as Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Caracalla) and Publius Septimius Geta.
They moved to Rome and she took some of her female family with her, who created a very influential circle of Syrian writers and philosophers. Julia Domna was a woman who always accompanied her husband to the different battles that she had to fight, which meant high praise for her.
He had a great influence on his children, he tried to share the throne with both of them, but Caracalla ended up killing his brother. She maintained a good relationship with him, so she took a place in official regent which meant the possibility of making decisions in the government.
Her son was killed, it is believed that it was probably because of his personality, and she ended up committing suicide shortly after. Her influence continued beyond her death, the rest of the women of the imperial family continued their matriarchal legacy and influenced the following emperors.
Characters of the Ancient East
Nebuchadnezzar II (630-562 BC)
Nebuchadnezzar II is the best known Babylonian rulerboth for his warrior facet and for his work as a patron.
The reason that even today his name is known is mainly due to two causes that would mark his later fame.
In the first place, Nebuchadnezzar was a warrior king whose government was carried out by various military campaigns. But the most important episode was his conquest of the current areas of Syria, Israel and Palestine, to the point that he was the king who conquered jerusalem and that it destroyed the famous temple erected there by Solomon by divine indication, as recorded in the Bible. His conquest of the Phenicia area and his constant attacks on Egypt should also be highlighted, which found in him a great enemy to beat.
And, secondly, in addition to that, he devoted himself to beautify the city of Babylon with the most advanced methods of his time, including new construction systems and sophisticated water pipes, which allowed him to build the famous hanging gardens of Babylon, considered one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world.
Ramses II (ca. 1279-1213 BC)
Ramses II was one of the most important pharaohs of Ancient Egypt. Belonging to the 19th dynasty, he was a warrior king who extended the limits of Egypt by conquering the lands of Syria and Libya, fighting against the Nubians and defeating the Hittites in the famous battle of Qadesh, making Egypt reach a level of splendor never known before.
He is also famous for the great works of architecture he commissioned, many of which are still preserved. The most important was the construction of the impressive abu simbel templewhere he represented himself as a god and also created a new city named after him, Pi-Ramesses-Aa-najtu, which would become the capital of Lower Egypt.
Characters of the Middle Ages
Saint Thomas Aquinas (1224-1274)
The thought of the Western Middle Ages cannot be understood without the figure of the theologian and philosopher Thomas Aquinas. A great admirer of classical thought, Thomas Aquinas translated, commented on, and adapted a large number of classical works that were preserved in monasteries after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, including those of Boethius.
However, it was his…