Visual Timeline: Greek Philosophy

To navigate the timeline, click and drag it with your mouse, or click on the timeline overview on the bottom.

610 BCE 600 BCE 590 BCE 580 BCE 570 BCE 560 BCE 550 BCE 540 BCE 530 BCE 520 BCE 510 BCE 500 BCE 490 BCE 480 BCE 470 BCE 460 BCE 450 BCE 440 BCE 430 BCE 420 BCE 410 BCE 400 BCE 390 BCE 380 BCE 370 BCE 360 BCE 350 BCE 340 BCE 330 BCE 320 BCE 310 BCE 300 BCE 290 BCE 280 BCE 270 BCE 260 BCE 250 BCE 240 BCE 230 BCE 220 BCE 210 BCE 200 BCE 190 BCE 180 BCE 170 BCE 160 BCE 150 BCE 140 BCE 130 BCE 120 BCE 110 BCE 100 BCE 90 BCE 80 BCE 70 BCE 60 BCE 50 BCE 40 BCE 30 BCE 20 BCE 10 BCE 0 CE 10 CE 20 CE 30 CE 40 CE 50 CE 60 CE 70 CE 80 CE 90 CE 100 CE 110 CE 120 CE 130 CE 140 CE 150 CE 160 CE 170 CE 180 CE 190 CE 200 CE 210 CE 220 CE 230 CE 240 CE 250 CE 260 CE 270 CE 280 CE 290 CE 300 CE 310 CE 320 CE 330 CE 340 CE 350 CE 360 CE 370 CE 380 CE  
 
610 BCE - 546 BCE: Dates of Anaximander who develops the cosmic theory of the apeiron as the First Cause of existence.
 
 
585 BCE: Time in which Thales of Miletus lived.
 
 
585 BCE: A battle between Media and Lydia broke off immediately as a result of a total eclipse of the sun and the two armies made peace. The eclipse was successfully predicted by Thales of Miletus.
 
571 BCE - 497 BCE: Life of Pythagoras of Samos; claim that "number" is the First Cause of existence and the soul is immortal.
 
570 BCE - 478 BCE: Life of Xenophanes of Colophon.
 
546 BCE: Date of Anaximenes' work; air is claimed as the First Cause of existence.
 
500 BCE: Heraclitus of Ephesus lives; claims that change is the essence of life and First Cause.
 
492 BCE - 432 BCE: Life of the philosopher Empidocles of Agrigento.
 
485 BCE - 415 BCE: Life of the Sophist Protagoras of Abdera; claim that "man is the measure of all things".
 
 
469 BCE - 399 BCE: Life of Socrates.
 
465 BCE: Zeno of Elea flourishes; writes 40 logical paradoxes to support Parmenides' Monist view.
 
460 BCE - 370 BCE: Life of Democritus, pupil of Leucippus; development of the concept of the atomic universe.
 
445 BCE: Leucippus of Abdera, the philosopher, is said to have conceived of the atomic universe. His pupil is Democritus.
 
445 BCE - 365 BCE: Life of Greek Cynic philosopher Antisthenes of Athens.
 
440 BCE: The Greek philosopher Melissus of Samos is active.
 
 
424 BCE - 423 BCE: Plato is born at Athens, Greece.
 
 
407 BCE: Plato meets Socrates, abandons aspiration to be playwright.
 
404 BCE - 323 BCE: Life of Greek philosopher Diogenes of Sinope.
 
 
403 BCE: Plato turns away from politics toward philosophy.
 
 
399 BCE: Trial and death of the philosopher Socrates, who taught in the court of the Agora.
 
 
384 BCE - 322 BCE: Life of Aristotle.
 
367 BCE: Aristotle begins studies in Athens at Plato's Academy.
 
360 BCE - 280 BCE: Life of Greek Philosopher Crates of Thebes.
 
470 CE - 385 CE: Life of the philosopher Philolaus, active in Magna Graecia.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
610 BCE 450 BCE 290 BCE 130 BCE 30 CE 190 CE