The Birth and Death Dates of Hippias

Many sources document the activities and intellectual pursuits of Hippias the Sophist in the late 5th century BCE, according to which he practiced in various fields such as rhetoric, law, custom, poetry, grammar, and mathematics and geometry, achieving considerable fame and commanding substantial wages for his expertise. Despite his reputation, little is known about chronological details concerning his birth and death. Nonetheless, references to his age range and relations with contemporary thinkers, his alleged plot against the city, and the marriage of Isocrates to his daughter have been preserved. Based on these accounts, Hippias’ birth is estimated to have occurred around 465 BCE, and his death between 398 and 395 BCE.