The birthplace of Zeno was Elea, a Greek city located in the southern part of Italy. It was founded in the 8th century BC and was an important center of philosophy and science in the ancient world. It was home to the Eleatic school of philosophy, which was founded by Parmenides and Zeno. Zeno was a pre-Socratic philosopher who is best known for his paradoxes, which were used to challenge accepted views of space and time.