Confucius
Thinker from the state of Lu who travelled the states urging rule by virtue and ritual; the Analects compiled by his disciples became the core of Chinese thought for two thousand years.
| Lived | 551 BC – 479 BC |
| Known as | Philosopher and teacher |
| Birthplace or main place | Qufu |
| Places on the map | Qufu |
QufuSee the world of Confucius in the interactive map
Confucius lived before the earliest border map (500 BC); the map above shows the oldest snapshot available.
Who ruled these places in his lifetime
| Place | At birth (map of 500 BC) | At death (map of 500 BC) |
|---|---|---|
| Qufu | Zhou states | same |
From the border maps nearest to each date; borders are approximate.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 551 BC | Confucius is born in the state of Lu | Qufu |
Further reading
Contemporaries
| Lived | Person | |
|---|---|---|
| c. 563 BC – 483 BC | Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha | Founder of Buddhism |
| 550 BC – 486 BC | Darius I | King of Persia |
| c. 600 BC – 530 BC | Cyrus the Great | Founder of the Achaemenid Persian Empire |
| 495 BC – 429 BC | Pericles | Athenian statesman |
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.