Descent from antiquity is an ultimate challenge in prosopography and genealogy, the idea of establishing a well-researched, generation by generation descent of living persons from people acting in antiquity. The definitions of antiquity may differ, but the 4th century is generally considered good enough. Prosopography is an important methodological tool within historical research, its goal being the collection of all known information about individuals within a given period, often in the form of a register or database (frequently also known as a Prosopography, e. ... Genealogy the study and tracing of family pedigrees. ... (3rd century - 4th century - 5th century - other centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 4th century was that century which lasted from 301 to 400. ...

The idea is by no means new. In the Middle Ages, major royal dynasties of Europe sponsored compilations claiming their descent from Julius Ceasar, Alexander the Great, and other illustrious heroes or even gods of antiquity, in particular the rulers of Troy (see also British Israelism, Euhemerism). The idea found new impetus with the recent works by Charles Settipani, most notably "Nos ancetres de l'Antiquite" (1991). This article is about Julius Caesar the Roman dictator. ... Alexander the Great fighting the Persian king Darius (Pompeii mosaic, from a 3rd century BC original Greek painting, now lost). ... Walls of the excavated city of Troy (Turkey) Troy (Greek Troia (or CMC ) also   Ílion; Latin: Troia, Ilium) is a legendary city, scene of the Trojan War, part of which is described in Homers Iliad, an epic poem in Ancient Greek, composed in the 9th or 8th century BC... British Israelism (sometimes called Anglo-Israelism) is a complex set of theories that are not identical nor are they necessarily compatible with each other. ... Euhemerus (flourished around 316 BCE) was a Greek mythographer at the court of Cassander, the king of Macedonia. ...

Caucasian route

The most popular descent from antiquity is the Bagratid one. The route starts with Arsaces, the first of the Arsacids, flourishing ca. 200 BC. One of his descendants, or Arsacids, king Tiridates IV of Armenia, is known to have been ancestor of Nerses the Great. The latter's son Sahak I was the father-in-law of Hamazasp I, an Armenian ruler from the Mamikonian dynasty. Then the line can be traced without difficulty to a much later Mamikonian, Samuel II of Armenia, whose son-in-law was Smbat VIII Bagratuni, Constable of Armenia and forefather of all the living Bagratids. Reproduction of a coin of Arsaces Arsaces is a Persian name, which occurs on a Persian seal, where it is written in cuneiform characters. ... The Arsacid Dynasty ruled Persia. ... The Arsacid Dynasty ruled Persia. ... King Trdat (Trdat III or Trdat IV depending on the source) was the first Christian king of Armenia. ... Isaac of Armenia, or Sahak, Catholicos (or Patriarch) of Armenia (338-439), otherwise known as Isaac the Great and sometimes as Parthev owing to his Parthian origin. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... The Bagrationi dynasty of Georgia provided many of the countrys rulers between 809- 1810. ...

The advantage of this route is that its crucial links (from Arsacids to Gregorids, from Gregorids to Mamikonids, and from Mamikonids to Bagratids) may be corroborated by near-contemporary sources, dating to within a century after the key marriage took place. Pre-Arsacid links may be hypothesized as well. The Roman historian Strabo states that "the royal dynasty of Atropatene married into the royal families of Armenia, Syria, and most recently Parthia". Strabo's evidence was interpreted by enthusiasts as proving a blood link between the Arsacid rulers of Parthia-Armenia and the Seleucid rulers of Media Atropatene. And the Seleucids (as was well known to the ancient authors) prided themselves on being female-line descendants of the Achaemenids. Strabo (squinty) was a term employed by the Romans for anyone whose eyes were distorted or deformed. ... Azerbaijan or Azerbeijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan, Azərbeycan) is a country in the Caucaus region, adjacent to the Caspian Sea. ... Parthian Empire at its greatest extent, c60 BC. The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BCE, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BCE and 224 CE. Parthia was the arch-enemy of the Roman Empire in the East and... Parthian Empire at its greatest extent, c60 BC. The Parthian Empire was the dominating force on the Iranian plateau beginning in the late 3rd century BCE, and intermittently controlled Mesopotamia between ca 190 BCE and 224 CE. Parthia was the arch-enemy of the Roman Empire in the East and... The Seleucid Empire was one of several political states founded after the death of Alexander the Great, whose generals squabbled over the division of Alexanders empire. ... The Medes were an Iranian people of Indo-Iranian origin who lived in the western and north-western portion of present-day Iran. ... Achaemenid Empire The Achaemenid Dynasty was a dynasty in the ancient Persian Empire, including Cyrus II the Great, Darius I and Xerxes I. At the height of their power, the Achaemenid rulers of Persia ruled over territories roughly emcompassing some parts of todays Iraq, Egypt, Syria, Jordan, Israel, Lebanon...

Another difficulty lies in establishing a valid line of descent from the Bagratids to the nobility and royalty of Western Europe. One possibility is the Taronid link. It is known that one of the branches of the Bagratids were rulers of Taron. After they entered Byzantine service, one Maria Taronitissa married Ioanne Komnene, Duke of Cyprus, whose daughters were the wives of the Crusader monarchs of Antioch and Jerusalem. Thence a line can be traced easily to the Lusignans and hence to the House of Savoy. Western Europe is distinguished from Eastern Europe by differences of history and culture rather than by geography. ... Taron was a region of old region of Armenia divised in four districts: Mamikonian, Palauni, (Belabitene), Artokh (Ardjish or Artzike, North of Van Lake) and Olnut or Enut Categories: Regions of old Armenia ... The Bagrationi dynasty of Georgia provided many of the countrys rulers between 809- 1810. ... Taron was a region of old region of Armenia divised in four districts: Mamikonian, Palauni, (Belabitene), Artokh (Ardjish or Artzike, North of Van Lake) and Olnut or Enut Categories: Regions of old Armenia ... The city of Antioch-on-the-Orontes (modern Antakya; Greek Αντιοχεια ἡ επι Δαφνη; see also List of traditional Greek place names) is located in what is now Turkey. ... Jerusalem and the Old City. ... The Lusignan family originated in Poitou in western France, and in the late 12th century came to rule the Kingdom of Jerusalem and the Kingdom of Cyprus. ... The House of Savoy was a dynasty of nobles who traditionally had their domain in Savoy, a region between Piedmont, Italy, France and French-speaking Switzerland. ...

Other postulated routes

Innumerable alternative routes of descent from antiquity (commonly abbreviated as DFA) have been posited. One of the most fruitful ideas has been to establish Charlemagne's descent from the Roman emperors or from one of the senatorial families of the later-day Imperial Rome. Whereas such a link most likely did exist, extant sources do not permit to reconstruct it with any degree of certainty. The record of senatorial families in the 5th and 6th centuries is very sparse. The genealogical evidence on the Dark Ages of European history is so desultory as not to permit the reconstruction of a firm blood link between the Carolingians and the preceding Merovingian dynasty. Therefore, all reconstructions of the DFA through Western European monarchs must remain precarious at best and absolutely speculative at worst. Charlemagne (ca. ... Roman Empire between AD 60 and 400 with major cities. ... The phrase the Dark Ages (or Dark Age) is most commonly known in relation to the European Early Middle Ages (from about A.D. 476 to about 1000), but it is also used to denote other periods from which events are relatively obscure because of our lack of knowledge of... The Carolingians (also known as the Carlovingians) were a dynasty of rulers that eventually controlled the Frankish realm and its successors from the 8th to the 10th century, officially taking over the kingdoms from the Merovingian dynasty in 751. ... For other uses of the term Merovingian, see Merovingian (disambiguation). ...

In the East, the descent from antiquity seems to be easier to establish. K'ung Te-ch'eng, for instance, is believed by the Chinese to be a 77-generation male-line descendant of Confucius. Actually, there are thousands of reputed descendants of Confucius. The Japanese imperial family claims descent from a certain Emperor Ojin, but his time of life is uncertain. On any accounts, there are no contemporary sources that permit to reconstruct these oriental DFAs generation by generation with the same degree of precision as the Caucasian one. A compass rose with east highlighted East is most commonly a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. ... Kung Te-cheng (born 1920) is a descendant of Confucius of the 77th generation and is also a professor at National Taiwan University. ... Confucius (traditionally September 28 551 BCE–479 BCE) was a famous thinker and social philosopher of China, whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia for centuries. ... Confucius (traditionally September 28 551 BCE–479 BCE) was a famous thinker and social philosopher of China, whose teachings have deeply influenced East Asia for centuries. ... His Majesty Emperor Akihito of Japan The Emperor of Japan (天皇 tennō) is a constitutionally-recognized symbol of the Japanese nation and the unity of its people. ... Emperor Ōjin (応神天皇 Ōjin Tennō) was the 15th imperial ruler of Japan, according to the traditional order of succession. ...

Other problematic genealogical routes

• Attila the Hun to Charlemagne | Charlemagne to the Mughals | Muhammad to Edward III | Genghiz Khan to Elizabeth II