Confucius · Anaxagoras Were Confucius and Anaxagoras alive at the same time? Yes. Confucius and Anaxagoras were alive at the same time, from c. 500 BC to c. 479 BC. Confucius5th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and politicianBorn c. 551 BC · died c. 479 BCAnaxagoras5th-century BC Greek philosopherBorn c. 500 BC · died c. 428 BC AnaximanderCyrus the GreatConfuciusAeschylusAnaxagorasSophoclesPericlesHerodotusSocratesHippocrates Confucius and Anaxagoras 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.