The Historical Geoghraphy Of The Avestan Language

The sacred book of Zoroastrians, The Avesta can not be still stated definitely where and when it was collected. The silence of avestan texts towards historical events,the large geographical spread of the Aryans and being too late to handwrite Avesta complicate the determination of place and time which avestan texts created. Therefore,it is applied to the comparison of the social construction into texts with archeological and historical data,to the lexicology of avestan texts,the grammatical structure,in order to indicate historical geography of Avesta. Being examined the grammar of Avesta, the lexicology and the social view at this study, it is managed to determine the date and the place of this work’s creation.It is definite that after years of researches that have been made over The Avesta related to its grammatical background , it is lucid that that language made use of The Avesta demonstrates a great deal of similarities with the Sanskrit . Furthermore; in the old chapters of the Avesta called Gathas show that these similarities much more identical and visible in comparison with known chapters. This situation leads researchers to think that both the oldest parts of the Avesta and the Vedas were written in the mean time at the same era . Moreover; it is thought that the Avesta was compiled in the environment of today’s present time India . It is reckoned that chapters like the Vendidad, Yashts, Visperad have been introduced after the Gathas, additionally, it is explained that immigration of Aryans for some degree influenced resemblence of the languages, such as; The Sanskrit and the language made use of the Avesta. In addition to this, direction of the migrations was from North west India into Iran. At first sight , theory tried to be explained by ethimological perspective, now; after over the yaears is also supported by concrete ,nonabstract branches of science , namely, Archeology . In the text of the Avesta, researchers also found out that sociological life segments took part in the Avesta. For instance, the most sacred animal figure stated in the Avesta was Horse and the other animal figure given importance to was Dogs that all were excavated and found out in graves being near to Iran and Hazar surroundings . Additionally , hand crafted tools made by Iron were also found out in spelchers . Iron as an element and mine , it was stated as sacred in the Avesta texts so; that situation demonstrates that the Avesta was written and compiled by people who took part in the Avesta ;for instance , Iron mine taken advantage of tool making in that area is also initiated with the Aryans so, it gives us a clue that cultural integration also influenced texts of the Avesta. In the late texts of the Avesta, so called; Vendidad reflects stages of being government and political organization of the Iran and the groups which affected the stages of the political developments of Iran, for example; Median, Persian, Parthian. All in all, in this essay grammar structure of the Avesta, its language and its ethimological background and social life patterns were tried to be explained and illuminated with the help of grammatical and archeological concrete evidences in order to target the origin of the Avesta and the time when it was collected.

Keywords

The Historical Geography of The Avesta, Avestan Language, Mazdaism, Sanskrit, Old Persia