Avesta

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Includes the Yasna (worship liturgy), the Yashts (hymns to divine beings) and the Vendidad (purity laws). The surviving text may be a quarter of the original.

Traditional attribution

The holy scripture of Zoroastrianism.

Historical scholarship

Oral tradition of many priests, finally written in a special alphabet under the Sasanians.

Context and curiosity

The oldest surviving manuscript was copied in 1323 CE.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Persia & Mandaean (Iran). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as composed c. 1200–400 BCE; written c. 5th–6th century CE and original language or script as Avestan. The dated manuscript witnesses and traditional claims may not refer to the same historical event.

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Sources and further reading

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avesta

Historical descriptions are educational summaries. Religious traditions, scholarly interpretations and unverified claims are distinguished where possible; imagery may be illustrative rather than an artifact photograph.