I would add that the original Vedic process to those three. Which came first? Probably Zoroaster (very likely) who talked about the agressive tribes. Those were probably (very likely) the Aryan invaders of India.
That's a good point. The Avesta (Aryan Bible) describes the conflict between the herding society of the Aryan-Aryans and the unsettled Turanian-Aryan cattle-lifting invaders. Convention places the Avestan people as early as 1500 B.C. in Yaz culture complex because there is no evidence of inhumation (I guess that means graves). How they know exhumation (no graves) earlier and Avestan culture wasn't established closer to 7000-5000 BCE. when our earliest evidence of the herding society appears (such as in Merghrab) I don't know. There are two other points worth noting when it comes to the dating Avestan culture. There is an astronomical phenomenon known as the Four Royal Persian Stars (see
Untitled Document). If I understand it correctly these four stars appear only once every 2400 years during what is known as the great year or precession. Does that mean that the Avestan people had to have observed the appears of the Four Royal Stars in order to know that they appear when they do, I don't know. Based on this observation which is mentioned in Zoroastrian tradition some scholars have placed Zarathushtra as early as 10,000 BCE. Lastly, I've been doing some research on the Hom Yasht. It looks like the use of hallucinagenics like Hom, maybe Hemp, precedes even the agricultural revolution 4000BCE, and its already well known that the Hom liturgy is probably the oldest of the Gathic hymns, going back before Zarathushtra.
Off the top of my head, my understanding is that after the Indo-Iranians split the Aryans (Irano-Afghans) occupied the steppes and the Indics occupied the region where Afghanistan is today. Later the Irano-Afghans pushed the Indics south. The Rig Veda, the earliest of the Vedic hymns, were written in the Panjab, on part where the Afghan-Iranians, Pashtuns, lived for a long time before the establishment of Pakistan. Pashtun is generally an East Iranian language, the closest thing to a direct linguistic descendent of the language of Zarathushtra and the Avestan people, but it does show Indic influence.
The Old Testiment is filled with pre-Babylonian Exile fragments and ideas, but it is not until Ezra and Nehemiah that we see a unification of the text.
Scholars have also proposed a Indo-Iranian connection. These are a few linguistic connections I find more believable.
Sum. abzu Akk. apsu “the underground sweet waters sea and its male personification; abyss. A lw from Sumerian. In Sumerian mythology, Abzu, the sweet water, sea and Tiamat, the salt waters are the original couple, from whom all the creatures are born. The Akkadians were familiar with this myth, and when the gandharva was called Apsu and his wife the aqueous nymph apyaa ca yosaa the poet of RV X.104. was referring to this myth. There are several phrases in RV where apsu appears as the first item and is interpreted as ‘in the waters’ rendering the phrase… - 204
The Ab-Zohr (āb-zōhr) is the culminating rite of the greater Yasna service, the principal Zoroastrian act of worship that accompanies the recitation of the Yasna liturgy. As described in the liturgy that accompanies the procedure, the rite constitutes a symbolic offering (zohr < zaoϑra) to the waters (aban < apas) in order to purify them.
7. Danu, Danu is the name of the mother of the Daanavas, the inimical demoniac beings. Howver they were perhpas like the Asuras, a clan (MBh). Vrtra, whois also supposed to be a serpent demon, was killed by Indra. His mother's name was Danu, or Daanu. Danu occurs in cuneiform sources as PN in Pre-Sargonic, Sargonic, and Ur III times. Also cp. Akk. dannum, strong, powerful. The descendants of Danu, the Danavas are known for their strength throughout the Sanskrit literature. - pg. 207
Danavas was also the name of a Turanian tribe.
Akk. mithaaru, adj., of equal size amount or degree equal amonut( as fine for a debt past due), square. In legistlative and administrative texts mi-it-haa-ru indicates 'same obligation', 'same share', 'fulfilment of contract', mutual compliance, mutually suitable. mithaaru, comes from mahaarum, OAkk. on.mahaarum, 1. oppose, confront, stand up to, etc. (OAkk. on); 2. turn to; 3. to receive, take, agree to (conditions) accept (a bill); take up ( a challenge); take something upon oneself, undertake a thing, assume (a change or burden); appropriate, suitable, corresponding, adequate - pg. 217
Mithra is the angel of contracts.
Suriya Sum. shur - Akk. saraaru "to sparkle, to shine, glitter, flash; to trickle, drop by drop" pg. 218
Tishtriya in Avestan and its Old Persian cognate Suriya are both associated with luminaries.
Sum. U-SA-AN = Ishtar = (gesh-dar) “goddess of evening and of morning” – pg. 218
Ushtaran is the angel of the Dawn.
Sum. mar-tu “storm wind” Mar-tu “name of the storm-god” mar-tu = kamaaru “to throw down, to suppress, overcome” im-MAR-Tu “western; the name of a godhead” Mar-tu-e “the lord of the mountains” = A-mur-ru. mar-tu ki “westland” A-MA-RU “name of the particular weapon” In Sargonic texts of Diyala region, there is a country name Ma-ru-utki = “land of Martu?” - 219
Gayo-mard was the first mortal and the first mortal to die (there is a parallel to him the story of Adam as well as Cain and Able).
Av. asha "righteousness" OPer. arta "righteousness" Skr. rta “proper, right, fit, apt, suitable” rtam “fixed or settled order, law, rule, especially in religion; sacred or pious; truth in general; righteousness, right” OB. uusu(m), ussu (Sum lw) “right path, order” Akk. Riidum, riddu(m) “(good) conduct; behavior, leadership, direction, guidance, good course, succession” – pg. 220
9. dam, house RVX.4.6.7. dama (morn “house, home” Akk. Dadmuu “place home place of residence, domicile, all places of living” – pg. 221
Akk. Purshum (m) LA parshu/aamu “hoary, venerable, aged” OB. MB PN pur-shu-mi 2 NA a. old servant b. ppur-sha-mu-te “the old; (c. pl.) oldest” f. pl. the grey; the basic meaning of the word seems to be connected with age, and from that (the oldest as) the source of the universe. The servant etc., are secondary usage, as in man, male. - pg. 235
demana means house in Avestan such as in Guro-demana "house of songs" and Drugo-demana "house of the lie"
Akk. ashu perhaps “living being or creature; animal” Vedic asuh “breath; life” RV –pg. 235
This is like the Avestan anghu "lord" cf. Ahura, Asura
Akk. muhhu “skull; top of the head; topside; upper part”
NPer. mu "hair"
Akk. shepum OB. Often siipum “foot”
NPer. sepoy "foot soldiers"
Sum. mah (=Akk. mahh) “high; great 2. many, numerous” attested as a loanword in Akkadian in solitary reference cited in CAD 414 - pg. 236
Avestan mogu- "great" OPer. magush "great"
Skr. maana “a particular measure” Akk. manu “counted” manu (v) “to count, to count and list (individual objects, animals, persons, and units of time.” – pg. 237
Avestan Manu-cher "founder of the house of Mobads or Magi" Skr. Manu "lawgiver" (prob. the Indo-Iranian versions of Moses)
