Confucius · Darius I Were Confucius and Darius I alive at the same time? Yes. Confucius and Darius I were alive at the same time, from c. 551 BC to 486 BC. Darius I was about a year old when Confucius was born. Confucius5th-century BCE Chinese philosopher and politicianBorn c. 551 BC · died c. 479 BCDarius IThe fourth and greatest Achaemenid emperorBorn 550 BC · died November 486 BC, aged 63 or 64 AnaximanderCyrus the GreatConfuciusDarius IAeschylusSophoclesPericles Confucius and Darius I 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.