Zoroaster (born between the 18th and 6th century BCE) was an Iranian prophet and philosopher and the founder of Zoroastrianism. The spelling "Zoroaster" is a Greek derivation from the Avestan Zarathushtra. In the Middle Persian and modern Persian languages he is called Zardosht or Zartosht. Dates proposed for Zoroaster's birth range from 1750 to 500 BCE. Though it is generally thought that Zoroaster lived about the 11th or 10th century BCE, some scholars believe that he lived sometime between 1750 and 1500 BCE or between 1400 and 1200 BCE. The traditional Parsi people of Pakistan and India place the Prophet as older than 600 BCE. The hymns attributed to himthe Gathasare at the liturgical core of Zoroastrianism.