title: List of philosophers born in the centuries BC
text: # List of philosophers born in the centuries BC
  
  Philosophers born in the centuries BC (and others important in the history of philosophy), listed alphabetically:
  
         Note: This list has a minimal criterion for inclusion and the relevance to philosophy of some individuals on the list is disputed.
  * A
  * B
  * C
  * D
  * E
  * F
  * G
  * H
  * I
  * J
  * K
  * L
  * M
  * N
  * O
  * P
  * Q
  * R
  * S
  * T
  * U
  * V
  * W
  * X
  * Y
  * Z
  
  ## A
  
  * Aenesidemus, (1st century BC)
  * Agastya,(c.1000 BCE)
  * Alcibiades, (c. 450-404 BC)
  * Alcmaeon of Croton, (5th century BC)
  * Anacharsis, (6th century BC)
  * Anaxagoras, (died 462 BC)*
  * Anaxarchus, (fl. 340 BC)
  * Anaxilaus, (1st century BC)
  * Anaximander, (c. 610-c. 546 BC)
  * Anaximenes of Miletus, (585-525 BC)
  * Andronicus of Rhodes, (c. 70 BC)
  * Angiras, (c. 11th century BC)
  * Anniceris, (fl. 300 BC)
  * Akspada Gautama,(8th century bc)
  * Antiochus of Ascalon, (c. 130-68 BC)
  * Antiphon, (480-403 BC)
  * Antisthenes, (c. 444-365 BC)
  * Arcesilaus, (316-241 BC)
  * Archimedes, (d. 212 BC)
  * Archytas, (428-347 BC)
  * Aristippus the Elder of Cyrene, (c. 435-366 BC)
  * Aristo of Chios, (fl. 250 BC)
  * Aristotle, (384 BC-322 BC)
  * Aristoxenus, (4th century BC)
  * Asclepiades of Bithynia, (129-40 BC)
  * Ashvapati, (c. 1000 BC)
  * Ashtavakra, (c. 1000 BC)
  * Titus Pomponius Atticus, (110-32 BC)
  
  ## B
  
  * Bādarāyaņa, (c. 3rd century BC)
  * Blossius, (2nd century BC)
  * Gautama Buddha, (6th century BC)
  
  ## C
  
  * Callicles, (late 5th century BC)
  * Carneades, (c. 214-129 BC)
  * Cārvāka, (c. 200-150 BC)
  * Cebes of Thebes, (5th century BC)
  * Chaerephon, (c. 460-c. 400 BC)
  * Chanakya (or Kautilya) (321-296 BC)
  * Chao Cuo (c. 200-154 BC)
  * Chia Yi (or Jia Yi or Chia I), (201-169 BC)
  * Chrysippus, (279-207 BC)
  * Cicero, (106 BC-43 BC)
  * Cleanthes, (301-232 BC)
  * Cleobulus, (fl. 560 BC)
  * Clitomachus, (187-109 BC)
  * Confucius, (551 BC-479 BC)
  * Crantor, (4th century BC)
  * Crates of Thebes, (4th century BC)
  * Cratylus of Athens, (c. 400 BC)
  
  ## D
  
  * Democritus, (born 460 BC)
  * Dirghatamas (14th century BCE)
  * Deng Xi (501 BC)
  * Diagoras, (5th century BC)
  * Dandamis (4th Century BCE)
  * Diodorus Cronus, (3rd century BC)
  * Diogenes Apolloniates, (c. 460 BC)
  * Diogenes the Cynic of Sinope, (412-323 BC)
  * Dong Zhongshu (or Tung Chung-shu), (c. 176-c. 104 BC)
  
  ## E
  
  * Ellopion of Peparethus, (4th century BC)
  * Empedocles, (490 BC-430 BC)
  * Epicharmus, (c. 540-450 BC)
  * Epicurus, (341 BC-270 BC)
  * Epimenides, (6th century BC)
  * Eubulides of Miletus, (4th century BC)
  * Euclid of Alexandria, (c. 323-283 BC)
  * Euclid of Megara, (c. 400 BC)
  * Eudoxus of Cnidus, (410 or 408 BC-355 or 347 BC)
  
  ## G
  
  * Gaozi, (c. 420 BC)
  * Gautama, Aksapada, (c. 2nd century BC)
  * Gautama, Siddhartha (or Buddha), (ca. 563-483 BC)
  * Gargi Vachaknavi (8th century BCE)
  * Geminus, (c. 110-c. 40 BC)
  * Gongsun Longzi, (c. 300 BC)
  * Ghosha (8th century BCE)
  * Gorgias, (c. 483-375 BC)
  * Guan Zhong (or Kuan Tzu or Kwan Chung or Guanzi) (740-645 BC)
  * Guiguzi
  
  ## H
  
  * Han Fei, (d. 233 BC)
  * Hecato of Rhodes, (135-50 BC)
  * Hegesias of Cyrene, (c. 300 BC)
  * Heraclides Ponticus, (387-312 BC)
  * Heraclitus of Ephesus, (ca. 535-475 BC)
  * Hicetas, (400-335 BC)
  * Hipparchia of Maroneia, (4th century BC)
  * Hippasus, (c. 500 BC)
  * Hippias, (5th century BC)
  * Hippocrates, (460-380 BC)
  * Hsu Hsing, (c. 300 BC)
  * Huai Nun Tzu (or Huainanzi or Liu An), (179-122 BC)
  * Hui Shi, (4th century BC)
  
  ## I
  
  * Isocrates, (436-338 BC)
  
  ## J
  
  * Jaimini, (c. 3rd century BC)
  
  ## K
  
  * Kapila, (c. 6th century BC)
  * Kanada, (c. 2nd century BC)
  
  ## L
  
  * Lao Zi (or Lao Tzu), (4th century BC)
  * Leucippus, (5th century BC)
  * Li Kui (455 BC-395 BC)
  * Li Si, (c. 280-208 BC)
  * Liezi (or Lieh Tzu), (c. 440 BC-c. 360 BC)
  * Lu Ban (507-440 BC)
  * Lucretius, (c. 99-55 BC)
  
  ## M
  
  * Mahavira, (599-527 BC)
  * Makkhali Gosala, (6th century BC)
  * Melissus of Samos, (late 5th century BC)
  * Mencius (or Meng K'o or Meng-tzu or Mengzi), (372-289 BC)
  * Markandeya, (c.1000BCE)
  * Menedemus, (c. 350-278 BC)
  * Maitreyi (8th century BCE)
  * Metrocles, (c. 300 BC)
  * Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the elder), (5th century BC)
  * Metrodorus of Chios, (4th century BC)
  * Metrodorus of Lampsacus (the younger), (331-278 BC)
  * Metrodorus of Stratonicea, (late 2nd century BC)
  * Mozi (or Mo Tzu, or Mo Ti, or Micius), (c. 470-c. 390 BC)
  
  ## N
  
  * Nagasena (born 150 BC)
  
  ## O
  
  * Ostanes, Iranian alchemist mage
  
  ## P
  
  * Parshvanatha,(8th century BC)
  * Panaetius, (c. 185-c. 110 BC)
  * Pāṇini, (c. 600-500 BC)
  * Parashara (c.1200 BCE)
  * Parmenides, (5th century BC)
  * Pañcaśikha (6th century BCE)
  * Parshva, (c. 877-777 BC)
  * Patañjali, (2nd century BC)
  * Payasi (6th century BCE)
  * Pippalada,(6th Century BC)
  * Pherecydes of Syros, (6th century BC)
  * Philo Judaeus of Alexandria, (20 BC-AD 40)
  * Philo of Larissa, (1st century BC)*
  * Philo the Dialectician, (c. 300 BC)
  * Philodemus of Gadara, (1st century BC)*
  * Philolaus of Croton, (c. 480-c. 405 BC)
  * Pingala, (c. 4th century BC)
  * Plato, (c. 427 BC-c. 347 BC)
  * Polyaenus of Lampsacus, (died 278 BC)
  * Posidonius, (c. 135-51 BC)
  * Prodicus, (c. 450-399 BC)
  * Protagoras, (c. 481-420 BC)
  * Purana Kassapa (6th century BCE)
  * Pakudha Kaccayana (6th century BCE)
  * Pyrrho, (c. 360-c. 270 BC)
  * Pythagoras, (c. 570 BC- c. 495 BC)
  
  ## S
  
  * Śāriputra (6th century BCE)
  * Seneca the Younger, (c. 4 BC-AD 65)
  * Shang Yang (or Gongsun Yang), (d. 338 BC)
  * Shvetaketu,(9th century BCE)
  * Shen Buhai, (d. 337 BC)
  * Shen Dao (or Shen Tzu), (c. 350-275 BC)
  * Shvetashvatara, (c. 4th century BC)
  * Socrates, (470 BC-399 BC)
  * Solomon, (970-931 BC)
  * Shukracharya (8th century BCE)
  * Speusippus, (410-339 BC)
  * Stilpo, (380-330 BC)
  * Strato of Lampsacus, (c. 340-c. 268 BC)
  * Sun Tzu, (4th century BC)
  * Sung Hsing (or Sung Tzu), (360-290 BC)
  * Su Qin (380-284 BC)
  
  ## T
  
  * Thales, (c. 635 BC-543 BC)
  * Theodorus of Cyrene, (c. 340-c. 250 BC)
  * Theophrastus, (372-287 BC)
  * Thrasymachus, (5th century BC)
  * Thucydides, (c. 460-c. 400 BC)
  * Timaeus of Locri, (5th century BC)
  * Timon of Phlius, (c. 300 BC)
  * Tiruvalluvar, (c. 1st century BC–2nd century CE)
  
  ## U
  
  * Uddalaka Aruni (c. 1000 BC)
  
  ## V
  
  * Vasishtha (12th century BCE)
  * Vyasa
  
  ## X
  
  * Xenocrates, (396-314 BC)
  * Xenophanes of Colophon, (570-480 BC)
  * Xenophon, (427-355 BC)
  * Xun Zi (or Hsun Tzu), (c. 310-237 BC)*
  * Xu Xing
  
  ## Y
  
  * Yajnavalkya, (fl. c. 7th century BC)
  * Yang Chu, (370-319 BC)
  * Yang Xiong (or Yang Hsiung) (53 BC-AD 18)
  
  ## Z
  
  * Zengzi (505 BC-436 BC)
  * Zeno of Citium (333 BC-264 BC)
  * Zeno of Elea (c. 495 BC-c. 430 BC)
  * Zeno of Sidon (1st century BC)
  * Zeno of Tarsus (3rd century BC)
  * Zhang Yi (c. 329-309 BC)
  * Zhuang Zi (or Chuang Tzu or Chuang Chou), (c. 300 BC)
  * Zichan (522 BC)
  * Zisi (c. 481-402 BC)
  * Zoroaster
  * Zou Yan (3rd century BC)
  