Sophocles

About Sophocles

Sophocles, who lived from roughly 497 to 406 BCE, stands as one of the most critically important figures of ancient history, earning the #134 rank from MIT's Pantheon project. As a celebrated Athenian tragedian, his enduring legacy rests on his mastery of dramatic structure and profound exploration of fate, justice, and human suffering, best exemplified by masterpieces like *Oedipus Rex* and *Antigone*. His work established formal elements that would underpin Western dramatic tradition for millennia, securing his spot as a foundational literary figure.

Despite this immense historical weighting, Sophocles' modern digital footprint is relatively modest. He accrued approximately 549K annualized Wikipedia pageviews in 2025, resulting in an Attention Gap of only about 1x—meaning his attention level is roughly proportional to his importance, which is rare for such an ancient figure. For contrast, he receives significantly less attention than fellow writer Oscar Wilde (#541 importance), who garnered 2.0M views, or even the modern science fiction writer Isaac Asimov (#920 importance) with 1.7M views. While his overall standing is stable, his momentum shows exceptional recent growth, with Q1 to Q3 views surging by an impressive +205% in 2025, suggesting a potential cultural resurgence or increased academic focus this year.