Buddha
560 BCE – 480 BCE
The person known generally as the Buddha (500 BC) is credited with beginning a spiritual movement that shaped the institutional and intellectual development of Asia. His given name was Gautama, and he was born into the ruling family of the kingdom of the Sakyas sometime in the middle of the sixth century B.C. At thirty-five Gautama became the supreme Buddha and developed a following that grew into one of the major religions of the world.