Socrates was born in 470 BCE in Alopeke. An Athenian philosopher, Socrates wrote nothing himself and is known mainly through the dialogues of his student Plato and the writings of Xenophon and Aristophanes. He spent his days in the public places of Athens questioning people about virtue, justice and knowledge, using a method of persistent questioning that is now known as the Socratic method. This made him many enemies, and in 399 BCE he was tried on charges of impiety and of corrupting the youth. He was sentenced to death and drank hemlock, rather than escaping from prison. His life and death had a great influence on Western philosophy.
Before and after
- 11 August 480 BCEBattle of Thermopylae
- 479 BCEDeath of Confucius
- from 478 BCE to 403 BCEFounding of Delian League
- from 476 BCE to 221 BCEWarring States period
- 470 BCEBirth of Socrates
- 466 BCEDiscovery of Halley's Comet
- 460 BCEBirth of Hippocrates
- 456 BCEDeath of Aeschylus
- c. 451 BCEThe Twelve Tables, Rome's first written law
More in Art, literature & culture
- c. 2,100s BCEEpic of Gilgamesh
- c. 1,500 BCEOrigins of Zoroastrianism
- 551 BCEBirth of Confucius
- 6th century BCEOrigins of Judaism
- 33 CEOrigins of Christianity
- 381 CEFirst Council of Constantinople
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 5th century BCE.