The Indo-Iranian group whose members composed the Hindu scriptures (Rig Veda) and
the Zoroastrian scriptures (Avesta). They called themselves THE ARYANS.
("Airya" or "Airyan" in AVESTA and "Arya" or "Aryan" in RIG VEDA).
the Zoroastrian scriptures (Avesta). They called themselves THE ARYANS.
("Airya" or "Airyan" in AVESTA and "Arya" or "Aryan" in RIG VEDA).
The next contemporaneous references are in the inscriptions of the Achaemenian Persians (see Achaemenian History as well as our page on Naqsh-e Rustam), and classical Greek texts such as those of Herodotus and Strabo, where the the references are exclusively regarding the Medes' and Persians' ancestry and their Central Asian connections.
Similarity in Avestan & Rig Vedic Languages
The languages of the two scriptures, the Zoroastrian Avesta and Hindu Rig Veda, are similar but not identical, indicating that at the time of their composition, the people of the Avesta and the Rig Veda were related and close neighbours - in a fashion similar to two provinces within one country - provinces where the people spoke two dialects of the same language.
The following is an example of the closeness of the Avestan Old Iranian and Rig-Vedic (Sanskrit) languages:
Old Iranian/Avestan: aevo pantao yo ashahe, vispe anyaesham apantam (Yasna 72.11)
Old Indian/Vedic: abade pantha he ashae, visha anyaesham apantham
Translation: the one path is that of Asha, all others are not-paths.
[The Rig-Vedic (Sanskrit) translation of the Avestan was provided to this writer by Dr. Satyan Banerjee.]
For further information, please see the Avestan Languages page.
HOMELAND of THE ARYANS
At the time the earliest sections of the Avesta and Rig Veda were composed, the Aryans were residents of the Aryan lands or Aryan nation, called "Airyana Vaeja" or Airyanam Dakhyunam in the Avesta and Arya Varta in the Vedas. In the Avestan and Vedic texts, Airyana Vaeja or Arya Varta was a beautiful but mysterious mountainous land (see Airyana Vaeja as Paradise). While the precise location of the original Aryan homeland is lost to us, we have been left with ample clues which allow us to draw reasonable conclusions about its likely location, the mountain regions of Central Asia.
We further discuss the possible location of Airyana Vaeja in our Aryan Homeland Location page. Airyana Vaeja and the other nations of the Avesta are further referenced and listed in the Aryan Homeland in Scripture page.
The name Airyana Vaeja was contracted over the years to Airan Vej, Iran Vej (in Middle Persian texts) and finally to Iran.
The two Indo-Iranian (the Aryans) groups eventually ceased to be close neighbours. They separated and migrated to present day India and Iran, becoming Indians and Iranians in the process.
Therefore, as an added definition, the Aryans were those members of the Indo-Iranian family who originated in Arya Varta or Airyana Vaeja, the Aryans' homeland.
HEROES of the ARYANS
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