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Avestan Period
The Avestan period () is the period in the history of the Iranians when the Avesta was produced. It saw important contributions to both the religious sphere, as well as to Iranian mythology and its epic tradition. Scholars can reliably distinguish between two different linguistic strata in the Avesta; Old Avestan and Young Avestan, which are interpreted as belonging to two different stages in the development of the Avestan language and society. The Old Avestan society is the one to which Zarathustra himself and his immediate followers belonged. The Young Avestan society is less clearly delineated and reflects a larger time span. There is a varying level of agreement on the chronological and geographical boundaries of the Avestan period. Regarding the geographical extent of the Avesta, modern scholarship agrees that it reflects the eastern portion of Greater Iran. Regarding the chronological extent, scholarship initially focused on a late chronology, that places Zarathustra ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Arya (Iran)
Arya ( ae, , ; peo, , ; pal, , ; xpr, , ; xbc, , ) was the ethnonym used by Iranians during the early History of Iran. In contrast to cognates of Arya used by the Vedic people and Iranic steppe nomads, the term is commonly translated using the modern ethnonym Iranian. During Old Iranian times, the term Arya was strongly connected with being a follower of the Zoroastrian religion or at least to the worship of Ahura Mazda. It was also used in an ethnic and linguistic sense. During the Middle Iranian period, it also acquired a political meaning as Eran Shar (''dominion of the Aryas''). Arya was also contrasted with Anarya ( ae, , ; pal, , ), denoting foreign lands and peoples. After the Islamic conquest of Iran, the ethnonym fell out of use, but the term Eran (''of the Aryas'') experienced a revival during the Iranian Renaissance, now as a toponym for Greater Iran. The modern ethnonym Iranian is a back-formation from the toponym Eran, itself a back-formati ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
