Ptolemy

About Ptolemy

Ptolemy (c. 100 – c. 170 CE) was a pivotal Greco-Egyptian writer, mathematician, astronomer, and geographer whose work profoundly shaped Western and Islamic science for over a millennium. As an astronomer, his comprehensive model of the universe, placing Earth at the center, remained the standard astronomical text until the time of Copernicus. His geographical work, the Geographia, also codified existing knowledge and served as a foundational map-making reference. This massive, enduring influence solidifies his standing at an HPI Rank of #253 among history’s most influential figures.

Despite this immense historical weight, Ptolemy’s contemporary digital footprint is comparatively small. In 2025, his Wikipedia page garnered 528K views, resulting in an Attention Gap ratio of approximately 1x, indicating his current online visibility aligns closely with his historical importance, yet falls short of the most dominant figures. To provide contrast, figures from the same ancient era, such as Herod the Great (#503 importance), drew 1.2M views, indicating that Ptolemy is significantly less visible online than some of his ancient peers who hold lower historical influence scores.

Interest in Ptolemy appears to be waning slightly, as the 2025 annualized views show a year-over-year decline of -16.8%, with a -17% drop observed between Q1 and Q3 momentum for the year, suggesting a slow drift from the digital spotlight.