Avestan

/əˈvɛstən/ adjective

Definition

Relating to the Avesta, the sacred texts of Zoroastrianism, or the ancient Iranian language in which they were written.

Etymology

From Avesta, the Zoroastrian holy book written in Old Iranian. The word 'Avesta' itself comes from Old Persian and means 'the utterances' or 'the knowledge.' The language preserves some of the oldest Indo-European texts known to scholars.

Kelly Says

Avestan is one of humanity's oldest written languages—older than classical Greek—and it gives us a window into what people believed about good and evil thousands of years ago in ancient Persia, shaping ideas that influenced Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

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