Zoroaster died in 551 BCE in Balkh, aged about 77. A Persian prophet and the founder of Zoroastrianism, Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra, taught that the wise god Ahura Mazda created the world and that human beings must choose between truth and falsehood. He is credited with the Gathas, the oldest hymns of the Avesta, the sacred text of the faith. His teachings on the struggle between good and evil, judgment after death and individual moral choice may have influenced later religions. Zoroastrian tradition places him in the sixth century BCE, but many modern scholars date him much earlier, possibly to the second millennium BCE, in eastern Iran or Central Asia, and little is firmly known of his life.
Before and after
- 575 BCEIshtar Gate
- 564 BCEDeath of Aesop
- from 553 BCE to 428 CEKingdom of Armenia
- c. 550s BCEConstruction of Circus Maximus
- 551 BCEDeath of Zoroaster
- 551 BCEBirth of Confucius
- 550 BCEFounding of Verona
- from 550 BCE to 366 BCEFounding of Peloponnesian League
- from 550 BCE to 330 BCEAchaemenid Empire
More in Art, literature & culture
- 26th century BCEThe Great Sphinx
- c. 430s BCEHerodotus writes the Histories
- 2nd century BCEVenus de Milo
- c. 20 BCEVirgil's Aeneid is published
- c. 4 BCENativity of Jesus
- 325 CEFirst Council of Nicaea
The era
This moment belongs to the Ancient civilizations (3,200 BCE to 500 CE), writing, cities and empires. You can also browse everything in the 6th century BCE.