Ferdowsi · Leif Erikson Were Ferdowsi and Leif Erikson alive at the same time? Yes. Ferdowsi and Leif Erikson were alive at the same time, from c. AD 972 to c. 1020. FerdowsiPersian poet, author of ShahnamehBorn 3 January AD 940 · died c. 1020Leif EriksonNorse explorerBorn c. AD 972 · died c. 1020 FarabiFerdowsiIbn al-HaythamLeif EriksonAl-BiruniAvicenna Ferdowsi and Leif Erikson in bold, with some of their best-known contemporaries. Drag across to see the age each reached in any year. Faded ends mark uncertain dates.