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Who was Zarathushtra, also known as Zoroaster?

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religious sites of ancient Indo-Iranian peoples — ancient Iranian religion Significant religious sites and sites containing religious artifacts of ancient Indo-Iranian peoples, including those of peoples of adjacent areas and modern Zoroastrians.

Zarathushtra—more widely known by the Greek form of his name, Zoroaster—was an ancient Iranian prophet and religious reformer traditionally regarded as the founder of Zoroastrianism.

While his exact historical context remains uncertain, he is believed to have lived in eastern Iran before the unification of the country under Cyrus II the Great, with scholars dating his ministry anywhere from the 6th century BCE to as early as 1500–1200 BCE. Originally a priest of a deity known as an ahura, Zarathushtra introduced a reform that emphasized the worship of Ahura Mazdā (the "Wise Lord") as the supreme god.123

His teachings, preserved in the Gāthās, established a framework of moral dualism centered on the struggle between truth (Asha) and falsehood (Druj). Zarathushtra’s message promoted an egalitarian ethic, respect for labor, and the importance of human free choice in the cosmic battle between good and evil.425