Who led the yasna sacrifice in ancient Iranian religion?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

religious sites of ancient Indo-Iranian peoples — ancient Iranian religion Significant religious sites and sites containing religious artifacts of ancient Indo-Iranian peoples, including those of peoples of adjacent areas and modern Zoroastrians.

In ancient Iranian religion, the yasna sacrifice was led by a priest known as the zautar (cognate to the Vedic hotar).1

The zautar was responsible for properly carrying out the ritual, often with the assistance of other ritual specialists. Acting on behalf of the sacrificer, the priest invoked the gods through the intermediary of fire, prepared the sacred hauma drink, and managed the barsman—a bundle of sacred grass or thin metal rods used during the ceremony.12