ĀÇIYĀDIYA

 

ĀÇIYĀDIYA (a-ç-i-y-a-di-i-y-), name of the ninth month (November-December) of the Old Persian calendar (see Kent, Old Persian, p. 161a), equivalent to Akkadian Kislīmu and Elamite Šībari (which is several times attested in the Persepolis tablets; see R. T. Hallock, Persepolis Fortification Tablets, Chicago, 1969, pp. 74, 756b). The Old Persian name, occurring only in DB I.89, III.18, is frequently rendered as Elamite Hašiyatiš (with sundry variants; see Hallock, Tablets, p. 693b) in the Persepolis tablets. The name Āçiyādiya, i.e., aç-yādya-, and its collateral form *Āçiyādi- (the normal Elamite rendering) are compounds, which contain the Iranian word for “fire” (*ātar-) in its null-grade *āθr-, Old Persian aç- (not *āθri-), and a lengthened-grade derivative from the root yad- “worship, reverence, sacrifice;” they may be interpreted as “Fire-worship (month).”

Bibliography:

W. Brandenstein and M. Mayrhofer, Handbuch des Altpersischen, Wiesbaden, 1964, p. 100.

W. Hinz, Neue Wege in Altpersischen, Wiesbaden, 1973, pp. 68f.

(R. Schmitt)

Originally Published: December 15, 1983

Last Updated: July 22, 2011

This article is available in print.
Vol. I, Fasc. 4, p. 430

Cite this entry:

R. Schmitt, “ĀÇIYĀDIYA,” Encyclopædia Iranica, I/4, p. 430; an updated version is available online at http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/aiyadiya-a-i-y-a-di-i-y-name-of-the-ninth-month-november-december-of-the-old-persian-calendar-see-kent-old-persian-p (accessed on 7 February 2014).