Mani (c. 216-274 CE) was a Persian prophet who founded Manichaeism, a religion that drew on and synthesized elements of Zoroastrianism, Christianity and Buddhism into a dualistic system centered on a cosmic struggle between light and darkness. Born in Mesopotamia under Parthian and then Sasanian rule, he began preaching his teachings in his twenties and gained early favor at the Sasanian court, sending missionaries as far as Central Asia, India and eventually the Roman Empire. Later Sasanian religious authorities turned against him, and he died in prison, reportedly executed, under King Bahram I, but Manichaeism continued to spread widely for centuries afterward, becoming one of antiquity's most geographically extensive religious movements before its eventual decline.
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