Cyrus the Great · Darius I Were Cyrus the Great and Darius I alive at the same time? Yes. Cyrus the Great and Darius I were alive at the same time, from 550 BC to 530 BC. Cyrus the GreatFounder of the Achaemenid EmpireBorn c. 600 BC · died 530 BCDarius IThe fourth and greatest Achaemenid emperorBorn 550 BC · died November 486 BC, aged 63 or 64 SolonAesopAnaximanderCyrus the GreatConfuciusDarius IAeschylusSophoclesPericles Cyrus the Great 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.