Aeschylus · Sophocles Were Aeschylus and Sophocles alive at the same time? Yes. Aeschylus and Sophocles were alive at the same time, from c. 496 BC to 456 BC. AeschylusAncient Athenian playwrightBorn 525 BC · died 456 BCSophoclesAncient Greek playwrightBorn c. 496 BC · died c. 406 BC ConfuciusAeschylusSophoclesHerodotusSocratesHippocrates Aeschylus and Sophocles 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.