History has worshiped its heroes for time immemorial, but over the course of human existence, there have been many unsung heroes whose great deeds faded with their names.
These great men and women of renown have been often overlooked despite their significant contributions to humanity or to the specific era in which they lived. Many have contributed immensely to their civilizations or fields yet were overshadowed by more popular figures. Indeed, making it into the history books is a competitive business – sometimes even the most incredible inventions are not enough to be remembered.
Unsung heroes of the ancient world
Unfortunately, time often forgets even the greatest of humanity. Here are a few significant individuals whose names should be remembered once again.
Praxagoras of Kos
Praxagoras of Kos was a physician and anatomist from ancient Greece whose discoveries helped fundamentally advance medicine. He discovered the differentiation between arteries and veins, noting their functional and structural differences. Praxgoras also made the connection between the pulse and the heart, which was revolutionary for the time and led to significant advances in later discoveries in relation to the heart.
However, Praxagoras was wrong about some things too. While he did notice the arteries and veins had different functions, he was wrong about the arteries’ function. He believed they carried pneuma, or the spirit, rather than blood. Ultimately, he was overshadowed by Hippocrates and today, few of his works survive.
Hypatia of Alexandria
Hypatia of Alexandria was one of the most significant figures of the late Roman Empire despite the fact she is often overlooked. Her relative anonymity can be attributed to a lack of her original texts and defamation from male authors. However, among those who know of her feats, she is celebrated as someone who sought to build on classical knowledge.
Some of her biggest contributions include designing the astrolabe, significantly contributing to Ptolemy’s Almagest, and emphasizing the philosophy of rational inquiry to blend reasoning and scientific understanding. According to many historical texts, she was also an excellent teacher and Christians and Pagans alike would attend her lectures.
Tragically, Hypatia was murdered by a mob. The gang killed her in the context of the tense political environment of the time, which was characterized by the clash between paganism and Christianity.
Enheduanna
The daughter of Sargon of Akkad, Enheduanna was the high priestess of the Akkadian moon god Nanna in Ur. She is known as the first author to ever sign her name on her works. However, she is overlooked as a result of historians attributing her work to the general Sumerian-Akkadian tradition, rather than to her as an individual.
Enheduanna was the author of many Akkadian hymns and prayers, which today provide useful insight into what this religion was like. She was also pivotal in integrating the religions of Akkadia and Sumer and unifying the religions under her father’s empire, including merging the Sumerian goddess Inanna and the Akkadian goddess Ishtar. Some of of her remaining writings venture into the political, enforcing her father’s authority and his place as a divine ruler.
Artemisia I of Caria
Artemisia was the queen of the ancient Greek city-state Halicarnassus, which is now in Bodrum, Turkey. She was an influential ally of the Persian king Xerxes I in the second Persian invasion of Greece. In addition to her duties as a ruler, Artemisia was also a naval commander known for her strategic genius. She led five ships in the Persian fleet in the Battle of Salamis, which was a decisive battle between the Persians and the Greek city-states.
Artemisia advised Xerxes against engaging the Greek fleet in the narrow straits of Salamis, predicting that these waters would favor the more agile Greek ships. Xerxes ignored her advice, and went on to lose the battle. Despite this loss, Artemisia managed to out-maneuver the quicker Greek fleet, which earned her praise from Xerxes.
Artemisia is largely forgotten because we know about her through Herodotus, who admired her as a citizen of Halicarnassus himself but framed her in the light of defeat alongside Xerxes I. With her prominence shadowed by the weight of Greek victory, Artemisia was put on the wrong side of history.
Zhang Heng
Known as the polymath of ancient China, Zhang Heng made incredible contributions to astronomy, mathematics, engineering, and literature during the Han Dynasty. He made one of the most incredible inventions in human history with the first-ever seismoscope, allowing humanity to detect earthquakes.
Heng’s other notable achievements include refining the value of Pi, expanding upon the astronomical knowledge of his time through his constellation charts, describing the concept of Earth as a sphere, marking the solar year with incredible accuracy at 365.25 days, and developing celestial theory with an early understanding of the retrograde movement of planets.
Despite his remarkable achievements, Heng is often overlooked and is overshadowed by China’s Renaissance-era polymaths such as Shen Kuo. Almost none of his original works survive today, making it more difficult to understand the scope of his contributions.