figure,birth_year,death_year,era_note,region,core_insight,geographic_spread_by_500ce,display_birth,display_death
Zoroaster,-1200,-600,dates disputed; possibly earlier,Persia,Ethical dualism; good/evil cosmic struggle; free moral choice,"Persian empire; influence on Judaism, Christianity, Islam",1200 BC,600 BC
"Hebrew prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, Hosea, Micah)",-800,-500,,Israel,Ethical monotheism; justice over ritual; care for the poor and vulnerable,"Canonized in Judaism; foundational to Christianity, Islam",800 BC,500 BC
Upanishadic thinkers,-800,-400,,India,Self-reality identity (Atman/Brahman); ethical action (karma),Foundational to Hinduism; influence on Buddhism,800 BC,400 BC
Siddhartha Gautama (Buddha),-563,-483,,India,Four Noble Truths; dependent origination; universal compassion,"India, Sri Lanka, Central Asia, China, Tibet, Japan, Southeast Asia",563 BC,483 BC
Confucius,-551,-479,,China,Humane civilization (ren); right relation (li); version of golden rule,"All of East Asia; foundational to Chinese, Korean, Japanese civilizations",551 BC,479 BC
Laozi (Daoist tradition),-570,-490,traditional dating; figure possibly composite,China,Non-action (wu wei); harmony with the natural way,East Asia; complementary to Confucian,570 BC,490 BC
Mahavira (Jain tradition),-599,-527,,India,Non-violence (ahimsa); non-possession; truth,India; influence on Gandhi's synthesis,599 BC,527 BC
"Pre-Socratic philosophers (Heraclitus, Parmenides, et al.)",-600,-400,,Greek world,Rational inquiry; being vs becoming; logos as ordering principle,Foundational to all later Western philosophy,600 BC,400 BC
Socrates / Plato / Aristotle,-469,-322,,Greece,Reasoned ethics; ideal forms; virtue theory; dialectical method,Hellenistic world then Islamic preservation then later European revival,469 BC,322 BC
Jesus of Nazareth,-6,30,,Levant,Universal love including enemies; kingdom-reversal; dignity of the marginalized; non-retaliation,Roman empire; later global spread,6 BC,30 AD