Avestan
The Avestan alphabet was created in the 3rd and 4th centuries AD for writing the
hymns of Zarathustra (a.k.a Zoroaster), the Avesta. Many of the letters are
derived from the old Pahlavi alphabet of Persia, which itself was derived
from the Aramaic alphabet. Greek influence, in
the form of the full representation of vowel sounds, is also present.
The Avestan alphabet was replaced by the Arabic
alphabet after Persia converted to Islam during the 7th century AD.
Zorastrians in India wrote Avestan with their own alphabets.
Notable Features
- Type of writing system: alphabet
- Direction of writing: right to left in horizontal lines
Used to write
Avestan, an extinct Eastern Iranian language related to Old Persian
and Sanskrit, which was used as a sacred language of Zoroastrian
worship long after it ceased to be used as an everyday spoken
language.
Avestan alphabet
Vowels
Consonants
Download this chart (Excel format)
Sample texts in Avestan
Source: http://www.avesta.org/gifs/samples.htm
Extract from Yasna 45.I (www.avesta.org/yasna/y43to46.htm) provided by Ian James
Transliteration
at fravaxshyâ nû gûshôdûm nû
sraotâ ýaêcâ asnât ýaêcâ
dûrât ishathâ nû îm vîspâ cithrê
zî mazdånghô-dûm nôit daibitîm dush-sastish
ahûm merãshyât akâ varanâ dregvå hizvå
âveretô.
Translation
I will speak forth: hear now and hearken now, ye from near and ye from far
that desire (instruction). Now observe this in your mind, all of you, for he
is revealed. Never shall the false Teacher destroy the Second Life, the Liar,
in perversion by his tongue into evil belief.
Links
Infomartion about Avestan
http://www.avesta.org
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avestan_language
Details of the Avestan language, including sample texts
http://www.farvardyn.com/avesta.php
http://titus.fkidg1.uni-frankfurt.de/
didact/idg/iran/avest/avestbs.htm
Avestan Digital Archive
http://ada.usal.es
Free Avestan fonts
http://minerva.stkate.edu/offices/academic/
classics.nsf/pages/avestafonts/
Iranian languages
Avestan,
Baluchi,
Bartangi,
Dari,
Gilaki,
Ishkashimi,
Juhuri,
Khufi,
Kurdish,
Luri,
Mazandarani,
Ossetian,
Oroshor,
Persian,
Parthian,
Pashto,
Rushani,
Sanglechi,
Sarikoli,
Shabaki,
Shughni,
Tajik,
Talysh,
Tat,
Wakhi,
Yaghnobi,
Zazaki
- Armenian,
- Avestan,
- Avoiuli,
- Bassa (Vah),
- Beitha Kukju,
- Borama / Gadabuursi,
- Carian,
- Carpathian Basin Rovas,
- Chinuk pipa,
- Coorgi-Cox,
- Coptic,
- Cyrillic,
- Dalecarlian runes,
- Elbasan,
- Etruscan,
- Galik,
- Georgian (Asomtavruli),
- Georgian (Nuskhuri),
- Georgian (Mkhedruli),
- Glagolitic,
- Gothic,
- Greek,
- Irish (Uncial),
- Kaddare,
- Khazarian Rovas,
- Korean,
- Latin,
- Lepontic,
- Lycian,
- Lydian,
- Manchu,
- Meroïtic,
- Mongolian,
- N'Ko,
- Ogham,
- Old Church Slavonic,
- Oirat Clear Script,
- Old Italic,
- Old Permic,
- Orkhon,
- Phrygian,
- Pollard script,
- Runic,
- Santali,
- Székely-Hungarian Rovás (Hungarian Runes),
- Somali (Osmanya),
- Sutton SignWriting,
- Tai Lue,
- Thaana,
- Todhri,
- Uyghur
ALPHABETUM - a Unicode font
specifically designed for ancient scripts, including classical
& medieval Latin, ancient Greek, Etruscan, Oscan, Umbrian,
Faliscan, Messapic, Picene, Iberian, Celtiberian, Gothic, Runic,
Old & Middle English, Hebrew, Sanskrit, Old Nordic, Ogham,
Kharosthi, Glagolitic, Old Cyrillic, Phoenician, Avestan, Ugaritic,
Linear B, Anatolian scripts, Coptic, Cypriot, Brahmi, Old Persian cuneiform:
http://guindo.pntic.mec.es/~jmag0042/alphabet.html
