# earliest known birth/death dates **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [October 7, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401 "2010-10-07T19:41:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/1 "2010-10-07T19:41:06Z")
Who is the earliest person for whom there’s an **known** DOB and DOD? ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/2 "2010-10-07T19:45:05Z")
To clarify: You want one person for whom we know the DOB and DOD for the same person? ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/3 "2010-10-07T19:52:34Z")
And I assume that you also want dates in our calendar. It doesn’t help much to know that someone was born in the seventh day after the harvest moon in the twelfth year of the reign of King Ribroast III, if we don’t know when Ribroast reigned or when in the year that civilization harvested. In which case the answer is probably one of the ancient Babylonian royalty. We can calibrate their calendar using their detailed astronomical observations of Venus. ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/4 "2010-10-07T19:58:43Z")
It must have been strange in BC times because every year, your age went up, but the year number went down. 😉 ---
**Author:** ![etv78](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/d78d45/32.png) [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/5 "2010-10-07T20:07:25Z")
Yes, the same person in the Christian calendar. ---
**Author:** ![Giles](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/giles/32/60_2.png) [@Giles](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Giles)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/6 "2010-10-07T20:08:41Z")
> [@Bearflag70](#): > > It must have been strange in BC times because every year, your age went up, but the year number went down. 😉 And in 1,000 BC they would have worried about the year 999 problem, when the number of digits in the year went down by one. But seriously, even around 1,000 B.C., for kings and emperors in major dynasties we are guessing at years when they reigned, let alone when they were born (which would have been a much less important event). ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/7 "2010-10-07T20:18:40Z")
Let’s see now, Adam was born in 4004 BC… ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/8 "2010-10-07T20:23:06Z")
I don’t know if it’s been validated to everyone’s satisfaction but Jesus was born on Christmas in 5 BC and died on Good Friday in 30 AD. > **[Jesus](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus)** > > Jesus\[d\] (c. 6 to 4 BC – AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ,\[e\] Jesus of Nazareth, and several other names and titles, was a first-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the central figure of Christianity, the world's largest religion. Most Christians believe Jesus to be the incarnation of God the Son and the awaited messiah, the Christ that is prophesied in the Hebrew Bible. > Virtually all modern scholars of antiquity agree that Jesus existed historically.\[f\] Accou... ---
**Author:** ![Bearflag70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8e7dd6/32.png) [@Bearflag70](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bearflag70)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/9 "2010-10-07T20:23:08Z")
I wonder how many people accidentally wrote “0” as the year on the date line when writing checks that year. and people had to be specific talking about dates at that time because you had two consecutive years both numbered “1”. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/10 "2010-10-07T21:06:47Z")
> [@Zeldar](#): > > I don’t know if it’s been validated to everyone’s satisfaction but Jesus was born on Christmas in 5 BC and died on Good Friday in 30 AD. > > [Jesus - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus) I have to ask because this is GQ and you didn’t use a smilie. This is a whoosh, right? You’re saying this because somebody put those dates into the first line on Wiki? There have to be 10,000 dates given and none of them are validated. ---
**Author:** ![Zeldar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/b77776/32.png) [@Zeldar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeldar)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/11 "2010-10-07T21:12:47Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > [@Zeldar](#): > > > > I don’t know if it’s been validated to everyone’s satisfaction but Jesus was born on Christmas in 5 BC and died on Good Friday in 30 AD. > > > > [Jesus - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus) > > I have to ask because this is GQ and you didn’t use a smilie. This is a whoosh, right? You’re saying this because somebody put those dates into the first line on Wiki? > > There have to be 10,000 dates given and none of them are validated. My bad. I thought this was a joke thread. 😃 Is anybody taking it seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/12 "2010-10-07T21:20:59Z")
Assuming you want day/month/year instead of just year, Julius Caesar was born on the 13th day of Quintilis, the 5th month of the Roman calendar. (Roman years began in March and their fifth month is now our 7th month and is July for obvious reasons) in 100 BC and died 15 March 44 BC, both of which are fairly well documented. The years of his birth and death in Roman calculation would have been around 653 and 709 [Ab urbe condita](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ab_urbe_condita), though exactly how the years was figured is complicated and not all sources agree (and they weren’t used that much except ceremonially anyway). I’m sure there are earlier ones but we’ve set the bar as at least 2054 years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aji_de_gallina/32/260_2.png) [@Aji\_de\_Gallina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Aji_de_Gallina)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/13 "2010-10-07T21:29:02Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > > [@Zeldar](#): > > > > I don’t know if it’s been validated to everyone’s satisfaction but Jesus was born on Christmas in 5 BC and died on Good Friday in 30 AD. > > > > [Jesus - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jesus) > > I have to ask because this is GQ and you didn’t use a smilie. This is a whoosh, right? You’re saying this because somebody put those dates into the first line on Wiki? > > There have to be 10,000 dates given and none of them are validated. There aren’t that many possible dates for His death. Birth however is more problematic. ---
**Author:** ![fiddlesticks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fiddlesticks/32/18129_2.png) [@fiddlesticks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fiddlesticks)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 9:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/14 "2010-10-07T21:37:13Z")
Earliest known exact date in history: Battle of Halys, May 28, 585 B.C. > **[Battle of Halys](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Halys)** > > The Battle of Halys (also known as the Battle of Halys River) took place in 82 BC, during the Second Mithridatic War. Roman general Lucius Licinius Murena became very overconfident while campaigning against Pontus and ignored orders to cease operations there. He commanded two legions (the infamous Fimbrians). Murena launched two raids into Pontic territory. After receiving orders from the Senate not to continue the war, Murena launched a third raid, beginning the Second Mithridatic War. At Halys ... ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/15 "2010-10-07T23:20:45Z")
> [@](#): > > There aren’t that many possible dates for His death. > Birth however is more problematic. Nonsense! We know for sure that he was born on Christmas. It’s just pinning down when Christmas is that’s the tricky part. ---
**Author:** ![Ximenean](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/aca169/32.png) [@Ximenean](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ximenean)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/16 "2010-10-07T23:29:19Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > We know for sure that he was born on Christmas. :dubious: That seems like a hell of a coincidence. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/17 "2010-10-07T23:31:36Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > the reign of King Ribroast III I believe you’re making allusions to Arglebargle IV, High king _at_ Ribroast. Either him, or someone else. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/18 "2010-10-07T23:32:55Z")
OK, I just did some more digging on the Babylonian question. The detailed observations of Venus began under the reign of Ammisaduqa, 1582-1562 BC, which would probably mean that the dates of birth and death of his son, Samsu-Ditana (1626-1595 BC), would be the earliest that could be pinned down. But I’m having a hard time finding more information (the [Wikipedia article](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Samsu-Ditana) on him is a stub). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2010, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/earliest-known-birth-death-dates/556401/19 "2010-10-07T23:36:55Z")
…And I just realized that the dates given on Wikipedia for those two are horribly mangled, but I don’t know what the correct ones should be.