The richest person who ever lived

In the era of Jeff Bezos, Bill Gates, Wall Street and Big Tech, it is hard to fathom a more prosperous time in human history. However, a lot of people believe Mansa Musa’s wealth outdoes that of all modern billionaires.

Mansa Musa ruled over the Mali empire in the 14th Century, and his incredible access to gold made him arguably ________ (1) human to have ever lived. So, why is it that he has largely disappeared from the western historical imagination?

(Adapted from: https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p09dcbl0/the-richest-person-who-ever-lived)

In “However, a lot of people believe Mansa Musa’s wealth outdoes that of all modern billionaires". Without changing the meaning of the text the expression “a lot of” can be replaced by