The name Zarathustra refers to a prophet or religious reformer of ancient Iran. He is believed to be the author of the Gathas, the linguistically oldest part of the Avestan corpus. Information relating to his life is extremely scarce: mentions in the sources are contradictory and there is no agreement among the scholars on the time in which he lived or the place where he was active. Some scholars believe that he was amythical figure and never really existed. Even his name is problematic froma linguistic point of view and there is still no generally accepted etymology. He is a figure who had a deep impact both on the Classical world (particularly ancient Greece) and in the Middle Ages and in modern and contemporary Europe.