BCE
Joseph the Carpenter
The genealogies given for St. Joseph in the Biblical gospels of Luke (chapter 3) and Matthew (chapter 1) appear to contradict each other. According to Matthew his father was Jacob, while... [more]
Mary the Virgin
According to tradition and the apocryphal Gospel of the Birth of Mary, she was placed in the Temple at Jerusalem by her parents at the age of three (see Oblates ) and stayed there until he... [more]
Nebuchadnezzar II
Nebuchadnezzar was King of Babylon from 605 to 562 BCE, succeeding his father, Nabopolassar. It was he who destroyed Jerusalem in 586 and forced the Jews into captivity in Babylon. He was a... [more]
Philip V
Philip was born the son of King Demetrius II, but was adopted by Antigonus Doson, whom he succeeded as king in 221. He defeated the Aetolian League, Sparta and Elis in a war from 220 to 217... [more]
Roman Empire
Ancient Roman society institutionalized the adoption of adults. It was relatively common for a wealthy Roman couple to adopt an adult man, even a slave, as heir if they did not have any son... [more]
Samuel
According to the Bible (1 Samuel 1-2) Samuel was the son of Elkanah and Hannah and was sent to live with the priest Eli in the Temple in Jerusalem when he was a toddler (see Oblates ). He ... [more]
Sargon I
Sargon united the kingdoms of Sumer and Akkad, including parts of modern Syria, Iraq, Iran and Turkey. His early life is largely a mystery. One ancient Sumerian legend states that he was th... [more]
Semiramis
Semiramis was believed to be the daughter of the goddess Derceto. She was exposed at birth (see also Oedipus , Maui and ... [more]
Sennacherib
According to some traditions Sennacherib was the adopted son of King Sargon II, but other sources do not mention this. He was Sargon's successor. During his reign the old enmity between ... [more]
