[kalid]

Exactly. One of my pet peeves is the misconception that a life expectancy of 35 means a normal adult somehow drops dead at that age. (And leads to arguments like "Oh, don't eat a paleo diet, cavemen only lived to 35").

Socrates lived to 71 in ancient Greece. Yet you know him for being a philosopher, not for living 2.5x the average age (like living to 200 today -- you'd think that'd make a fuss).

[wulczer]

And he died condemned to death and executed, too! So he could have lived happily for many more years.

[hugh3]

Xenophanes of Colophon supposedly lived to 95. Pyrrho of Ellis lived to 90, and Democritus to 109. On the other hand, Epimenedes is supposed to have lived to the age of 154 or 290 depending on whom you believe, so take these numbers with a grain of artery-clogging sodium chloride.

[wulczer]

Yeah, and Noah reportedly died at 950, so I'd definitely take these numbers with a drop of hemlock :)

[corin_]

Go back far enough in history and numbers get even less believable, just think of Methuselah.

[bergie]

It should be noted that there is some difference between history and scripture. Though, history doesn't know everything either.

[sixtofour]

Zeno of Elea got ever so close to 60 but never quite made it.