The Cambridge History of India, Vol. I: Ancient India v1.c19.s1.6

v1.c19.s1.6

There have been endeavours, on the basis of other traditions, to arrive at a more exact date for the birth of the Buddha². It is sufficient to state that each of these is open to still more serious objection. We must be satisfied to accept, as a working hypothesis only, and not as an ascertained fact, the general belief among modern European scholars that the period for the Buddha's activity may be approximately assigned to the sixth century B.C.