Gathas

At a glance

History, context & interpretation

The text and its story

Seventeen hymns praising Ahura Mazda (Wise Lord) and calling people to choose truth (asha) over the lie (druj). Ideas of heaven, hell and final judgement appear here very early.

Traditional attribution

Hymns composed by the prophet Zarathustra (Zoroaster).

Historical scholarship

Linguistic evidence links them to Zarathustra himself; his dates are uncertain.

Context and curiosity

Zoroastrians still recite the Gathas in their original ancient language.

Chronology and transmission

This text belongs to Persia & Mandaean (Ancient Iran). The catalogue gives its approximate dating as c. 1500–1000 BCE (debated) and original language or script as Old 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/Gathas

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.