Confucius · Zeno of Elea Were Confucius and Zeno of Elea alive at the same time? Yes. Confucius and Zeno of Elea were alive at the same time, from c. 490 BC to c. 479 BC. Confucius5th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and politicianBorn c. 551 BC · died c. 479 BCZeno of EleaGreek philosopherBorn c. 490 BC · died c. 425 BC AnaximanderCyrus the GreatConfuciusAeschylusSophoclesPericlesZeno of EleaHerodotusSocratesHippocrates Confucius and Zeno of Elea 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.