Most scholars contend that Anaxagoras of Clazomenae lived during the time period of 500 to 428 BCE. He was born in Ionia and later travelled to Athens, where he spent thirty years teaching and writing. Unfortunately, Anaxagoras suffered a similar fate to that of Socrates. On the charges of impiety, the Athenian government sentenced Anaxagoras to death. Fortunately, Anaxagoras decided to forego this penalty, dissimilar to Socrates, and he moved to Lampsacus, where he lived until his death. It seems as though Anaxagoras violated the religious beliefs of the Athenians; however, his ideas were directly consistent with the other Pre-Socratic natural philosophers that preceded him. In any event, he set himself apart from his tradition when he authored a very unique and innovative philosophy of first principles.