Head of Darius with crenellated crown
The self-identifier was inherited in ethnic names such as
the Parthian Ary (pl. Aryān ), the Middle Persian Ēr (pl. Ēran ), or the New
Persian Irāni (pl. Irāniyān ).[60][32] The Scythian branch
has Alān or Allān (from Aryāna ; modern Allon ), Rhoxolāni ('Bright
Alans'), Alanorsoi ('White Alans'), and possibly the
modern Ossetian Ir (adj. Iron ), spelled Irä or Erä in the Digorian
dialect.[60][7][61] The Rabatak inscription, written in the Bactrian
language in the 2nd century CE, likewise uses the term ariao for
'Iranian'.[33]
The name Arizantoi , listed by Greek historian Herodotus as one of the
six tribes composing the Iranian Medes, is derived from the Old
Iranian * arya-zantu - ('having Aryan lineage').[62] Herodotus also
mentions that the Medes once called
themselves Arioi ,[63] and Strabo locates the land of Arianē between
Persia and India.[ citation needed ] Other occurrences include the
Greek áreion (Damascius), Arianoi (Diodorus Siculus)
and arian (pl. arianōn ; Sasanian period), as well as the Armenian
expression ari (Agathangelos), meaning 'Iranian'.[59][33]
Until the demise of the Parthian Empire (247 BCE–224 CE), the Iranian
identity was essentially defined as cultural and religious. Following