Fwd: [Indo-Eurasia] Avesta and Iran

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Arash Zeini <arash.zeini

Jan 11, 2008 4:04 AM

[indo-Eurasia] Das Avesta in der Persis

Indo-Eurasian_research

 

 

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Dear All,

 

I am a postgraduate student of religions at SOAS, University of London. My

main area of interest is Zoroastrianism, and at the moment I am studying

Middle Persian and Bactrian. I have recently joined the list and by going

through the archives discovered this message:

 

Indo-Eurasian_research/message/3050

 

> 6. Michael and I at some point want to open a thread on what he refers

> to as the " Iranian side " of our Achaemenid-era model of Vedic-Avestan

> canonization, which is part of our broader interest in Persia-era

> events in NW historical India (Gandhara) and nearby Persian satrapies.

> The topic includes (beyond the question of the dates and the

> historicity vs. mythical status of 'Zoroaster') the kinds of issues

> discussed in K. Hoffmann's classic 1969 paper, " Das Avesta in der

> Persis " , along with Hoffmann's later works (e.g., with J. Narten)

> involving literacy and the Sasanian redaction of the Avesta. I've

> wanted to post and get a List discussion going for some time of " Das

> Avesta in der Persis " -- one of the most far-reaching short historical

> papers I know -- but haven't found the opportunity yet.

 

Hoffmann's article (in German) has been uploaded for your convenience and

can

be downloaded here:

 

http://www.safarmer.com/Indo-Eurasian/Das.Avesta.in.der.Persis.pdf

 

I decided to reopen this discussion, since I have an interest in

orality and

 

Old Iranian literature (if we can call oral compositions literature).

 

In his paper, Hoffmann addresses why and how the East Iranian Avesta was

brought to South West Iran (Pars). He argues that Achaemenid nobles,

possibly

Darius I, might have brought the Avesta or the East Iranian tradition to

Pars

to counterbalance the influence of the North West Iranian (i.e. the

Median)

magi. He further suggests that the Avesta began its journey in North East

Iranian space and moved to Pars via Arachosia. He uses linguistic evidence

to

support his hypothesis. I will not discuss the evidence in detail, but

should

probably note that Hoffmann finds traces of Arachosian as well as Old

Persian

influence in the Avesta.

 

Those who do not read German but are interested in the topic will find a

useful summary in (p. 56-59):

 

Humbach, H. (1991). The Gathas of Zarathushtra and the Other Old Avestan

Texts. In collaboration with Josef Elfenbein and Prods O. Skjærvø.

Heidelberg: Carl Winter Universitätsverlag.

 

It seems probable that various other schools of Avesta existed

alongside one

 

another, each with their own dialectical formations. The Sogdian

fragment of

 

the Ashem Vohu prayer may be one example, and I am curious to know

what the

experts think:

 

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/ashem.html

http://www.bl.uk/onlinegallery/sacredtexts/images/zoomify/ashemzoom.html

 

We further know that the extant Avestan corpus was probably written down

around 600 CE by Sassanian priests. While various other articles by

Hoffmann

 

deal with the Sassanian redaction of the Avesta, the classic book on this

topic would be:

 

Hoffmann, K & Narten, J (1989). Der Sasanidische Archetypus:

Untersuchungen

zu

Schreibung und Lautgestalt des Avestischen. Wiesbaden: Dr. Ludwig

Reichert.

 

Now, as I have learned in off-line exchanges, the significance of this

issue

 

lies in a parallel but mirrored movement of the Vedic language from

West to

East, as opposed to East -> West in the case of the Avesta at around the

same

time. I wonder how these parallel movements and the canonisation of the

texts

fit together and what deeper insights we may gain by discussing these

issues

 

on this list.

 

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and hope that we may have an

illuminating discussion.

 

Regards,

Mit freundlichen Grüßen,

Arash Zeini

 

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