Just finished watching the trailer for Noah and I was wondering who would be the earliest known character from the bible that actually existed.
The first definitely known to exist is probably the pharaoh Shishak mentioned in 1 Kings 14:25
He was known as Sheshonk I in Egypt.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shishak#Shishak_identified_as_Pharaoh_Sheshonk_I
The Tel Dan Stele refers to a king of the "House of David" which is evidence that King David might have existed.
My bible knowledge isn't great and I'm not sure whether he would be the earliest but I do know that Cyrus the Great is mentioned and alluded to multiple times in the Bible and was a Persian King from 600 BC who allowed the Jews to be freed from their Babylonian captivity.