Empedocles · Herodotus Were Empedocles and Herodotus alive at the same time? Yes. Empedocles and Herodotus were alive at the same time, from c. 484 BC to c. 434 BC. Empedocles5th century BC Greek philosopherBorn c. 494 BC · died c. 434 BCHerodotusGreek historian and geographerBorn c. 484 BC · died c. 425 BC ConfuciusAeschylusSophoclesEmpedoclesHerodotusSocratesHippocratesAristophanes Empedocles and Herodotus 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.