<p>When Gatha scholarship began in the second half of the 19th century knowledge of the grammar of the language was still rudimentary and the translations by necessity less than adequate. At best they reflected the Sasanians' understanding of the text as seen in the Pahlavi rendering, of uncertain date. Nevertheless, theories that were based on these early, mostly incorrect, translations remained the basis for subsequent translations of the Gathas, thus producing a vicious circle which was broken only in the late l950's. But even after this time Gatha translations have tended to cater to a public expecting traditional renderings and an easily readable text, although such translations can only be achieved by smoothing over numerous ditiiculties in the text or plainly disregarding the grammar. The first to study the Gathas applying the rigorous methods of modern philology was Helmut Humbach, 'Die Gathas des Zarathustra' l-II, Heidelberg 1959, an updated English version of which is his 'The Gths of Zarathushtra' I-ll, Heidelberg 1991. While these two earlier translations to a great extent mirror the Avestan text in all its complexities, the present version is intended to be user-friendly and to be consulted by those who prefer an easier access to the Gathas as poetry and religious document. We have tried to accomplish this without departing too much from the original text, but also without encumbering the translation with stylistic features common in Avestan but alien to English. In this way we hope we have avoided creating misunderstandings at the same time as making the text readily available to those who wish to study it for its vocabulary and phraseology or for its message. For scholars this new translation does not replace the two earlier editions, which should be consulted for philological details as well as for Helmut Humbach's personal opinions regarding Zarathushtra and his Religion.</p>

The Heritage of Zarathushtra: A New Translation of His Gathas (English and German Edition)

Literature & Fiction

Humbach, Helmut

Ichaporia, Pallan

History & Criticism

Universitaetsverlag Winter

The Persian-Parthian bilingual inscription from Paikuli (Iraq) which dates back to the reign of Great King Naresh (293-303) was first published by Ernst Herzfeld in 1924. Inspite its fragmentary state of preservation it is the most important evidence we have on the internal political practices of the Sassanian period. The first volume of the new edition presented by the authors contains in particular Herzfeld's photos, squeezes and facsimiles of his still unpublished new discoveries of 1923. It includes those photos by Volker Popp (1971) and drawings by Sir Henry Rawlinson (1844) which continue to be of relevance.Volume 2 will contain a synoptic reconstruction of the Persian and Parthian versions, Volume 3 the translation and commentay by P. O. Skjaervo.

The Sassanian Inscription of Paikuli: Supplement to Herzfeld`s Paikuli

History

The Iranian Culture Foundation Tehran

Ancient Civilizations

Reichert Verlag

The Sassanian Inscription of Paikuli: Synoptic Tables

Skjærvø, Prods Oktor

The Sassanian Inscription of Paikuli: 3.1. Restored Text and Translation; 3.2. Commentary

Zarathushtra and his Antagonists: A Sociolinguistic Study with English and German Translation of His Gathas (SZ)

Faiss, Klauss

<p>The present book deals with semasiological and onomasiological questions in Herodotus's (5th century B.C.) famous portrayal of the Scythians and in Ptolemy's description of the Central Asiatic countries as presented in Book 6 of his 'Geography' (around 150 C.E.). The link is established by Ptolemy also mentioning Scythians. The main subject of the investigation is the philological examination, for the first time, of the numerous essentially geographical and ethnographical names, which allow a deeper insight into the religious rather than the political and cultural background of the time.</p>

Herodotus's Scythians and Ptolemy's Central Asia: Semasiological and Onomasiological Studies

Faiss, Klaus

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Humbach, Helmut. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Humbach, Helmut