The Northeastern group of Iranian languages has only two living members in two widely separated areas, the Yagnobi language of Tajikistan and the Ossetic language of the Caucasus. These are remnants of the vast ethno-linguistic continuum of the Scytho-Sarmatian languages stretching over most of the steppes of Central Asia in the 1st millennium BC. The Avestan language itself, the oldest attestation of the Iranian branch, is a member of the group. With Greek presence in Central Asia, some of the easternmost of these languages were recorded in their Middle Iranian stage (hence the "Eastern" classification), while almost no records of the Scytho-Sarmatian continuum stretching from Kazakhstan west across the Pontic steppe to the Ukraine have survived. Current distribution of the Iranian languages. ... Yagnobi is a language spoken by abour two and a half thousand people in Tadjikistan. ... Ossetic or Ossetian (in Ossetic: , Iron ăvzag) is an Iranian language spoken in Ossetia, a region on the slopes of the Caucasus mountains on the borders of Russia and Georgia. ... The Entholinguistic patchwork of the modern Caucasus - CIA map The Caucasus, a region bordering Asia Minor, is located between the Black Sea and the Caspian Sea which includes the Caucasus Mountains and surrounding lowlands. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... (2nd millennium BC – 1st millennium BC – 1st millennium – other millennia) // Events The Iron Age spread to Western Europe Egypt declined as a major power The Tanakh was written Buddhism was founded by Siddharta Gautama, commonly known as the Buddha (6th century BC) Jainism was founded by Mahavira (6th century BC... Avestan is an Eastern Old Iranian language that was used to compose the hymns of the Zoroastrian holy book, the Avesta. ... Maximum extent of Indo-Greek territory circa 175 BCE. The Indo-Greeks (or sometimes Greco-Indians) designate a series of Greek kings, who invaded and controlled parts of northwest and northern India from 180 BCE to around 10 BCE. They are the continuation of the Greco-Bactrian dynasty of Greek... Numerous languages are spoken in Iran, yet all of them originate from the same linguistic roots. ... The Pontic steppe refers to the steppelands to the north of the Black Sea and on its eastern side as far as the Caspian Sea. ...

• Avestan, ca. 14th-6th c. BC
  • Bactrian, ca. 4th c. BC - 9th c. AD
  • Chorasmian ca. 4th c. BC - 13th c. AD
  • Sogdian, from ca. the 4th c. BC.
    • Yaghnobi
• Scytho-Sarmatian languages, from ca. the 8th c. BC
  • Alanic, from ca. the 4th c. AD
    • Ossetian (dialects: Iron, Digor, Jassic)

Yasna 28. ... Proto-Indo-European Indo-European studies The Bactrian language is an extinct language which was spoken in the Central Asian region of Bactria, also called Tocharistan, in northern Afghanistan. ... Chorasmian, also known as Khwarezmian or Khwarazmian, is the name of an extinct northeastern Iranian language closely related to Sogdian. ... The Sogdian language is a Middle Iranian language spoken in Sogdiana (Zarafshan River Valley) in the modern day republics of Uzbekistan and Tajikistan (chief cities: Samarkand, Panjikent, Ferghana). ... Yaghnobi language - one of two living Northeastern Iranian languages, spoken in high valley of the Yaghnob river in Zarafshan area of Tajikistan, considered to be direct descendant of Sogdian by many linguists. ... Ossetic or Ossetian (in Ossetic: , Iron ăvzag) is an Iranian language spoken in Ossetia, a region on the slopes of the Caucasus mountains on the borders of Russia and Georgia. ... Jassic is a dialect of the Ossetian language and the name of a nomadic tribe settled in Hungary in the 13th century. ...

See also

• List of Iranian languages