On the left: the famous historian Tacitus.
On the right: historically accurate depiction of Olympiodorus of Thebes (that's Thebes, Egypt, not Greece). He was a historian and diplomat who served under Theodosius II (Byzantine emperor from 408 to 450). He had quite the adventurous life, undertaking diplomatic missions that took him from the northern border among the Huns, to the southern border among the barbarian populations that inhabited Nubia, and to Italy in the west.
Most importantly, he always travelled with his faithful friend: a parrot "with which he himself lived twenty years, which mimicked nearly all the acts of a human being. It used to dance and sing, call people by their names and the like." I'm sure he was a funny guy to have at parties.