Britannica AI Icon

Aryana Vaejah

ancient state, Asia

Quick Summary

The term "Aryan" has evolved in meaning. Originally, it referred to speakers of an Indo-European dialect in ancient northern India. Later, it was used to describe a hypothetical ethnic type descended from early Indo-European speakers, and in Nazism, it was used to designate a supposed master race.1

Aryana Vaejah is an ancient state mentioned in the Avesta, the Zoroastrian scripture. Hystaspes, a follower of Zoroaster, was a ruler in this region during the 7th and 6th centuries BC. Aryana Vaejah may have been a Greater Chorasmian state that was abolished by Cyrus II of Persia in the mid-6th century BC.2

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
2 Britannica Sources
  1. Aryan
  2. Hystaspes

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.