Zoroaster, also known as Zarathustra, Zarathushtra Spitama and Ashu Zarathushtra, was a prophet who started a new movement, which eventually developed into a new religion called Zoroastrianism. Although the exact time and place of his birth is never known he is believed to have lived in Eastern Iran sometime between 1500 BCE and 500 BCE. Born in a nomadic tribe and trained as a priest, he later rose to criticize many religious practices of those days, thus earning the displeasure of the powerful priestly community. At a time, when people worshiped a number of gods and deities, he declared that none other than Ahura Mazda, the Supreme Being, was worthy of worship. As a result of this he was constantly harassed, finally receiving the patronage of King Vishtaspa, possibly of Bactria, at the age of forty. Thereafter, the religion he taught began to spread far and wide and by the time he died at the age of seventy-seven, it had spread all over Persia. Today, it is considered one of the oldest continuing religions of the world and Zoroaster is taken as one of the long line of Prophets, who have helped to uplift mankind to greater heights.