The Avesta
The ancient collection of Zoroastrian sacred texts, including the Gathas (hymns attributed to Zoroaster), composed in the Avestan language.
Read in context →At a glance
- Language
- Avestan
- Oldest portion
- The Gathas
- Main parts
- Yasna, Yashts, Visperad, Vendidad
Detail
The Avesta is the sacred scripture of Zoroastrianism and the oldest treasury of Iranian religious literature, written in Avestan, an archaic Iranian language. Its oldest and holiest portion, the Gathas, consists of hymns attributed directly to Zarathustra himself, probably dating to between the second and early first millennium BCE. The Avesta comprises several parts — such as the Yasna, the Yashts, the Visperad, and the Vendidad — containing prayers, hymns in praise of divinities, and religious law. The text was preserved orally for centuries and finally written down in a special Avestan script in the Sasanian era; much of it was lost through invasions and the passage of time. The Avesta is the most important source for understanding the religion, mythology, and worldview of ancient Iran.
Related entities
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Iranica — 'Avesta'
- Britannica — 'Avesta'
- M. Boyce, 'Textual Sources for the Study of Zoroastrianism'