Darius I · Sophocles Were Darius I and Sophocles alive at the same time? Yes. Darius I and Sophocles were alive at the same time, from c. 496 BC to 486 BC. Darius IThe fourth and greatest Achaemenid emperorBorn 550 BC · died November 486 BC, aged 63 or 64SophoclesAncient Greek playwrightBorn c. 496 BC · died c. 406 BC Cyrus the GreatConfuciusDarius IAeschylusSophoclesPericlesHerodotusSocratesHippocrates Darius I 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.