Avesta word for "praise-song" (Bartholomae: "Lobgesang"); that word is not actually attested in any text. The surviving texts of the Avesta, as they exist today, derive from a single master copy produced by Sasanian Empire-era (224–651 CE) collation and recension. That master copy, now lost, is known as the 'Sassanian archetype'. The oldest surviving manuscript ("K1") of an Avestan language text is dated 1323 CE. Summaries of the various Avesta texts found in the 9th/10th century texts of Zoroastrian tradition suggest that a significant portion of the literature in the Avestan language has been lost. Only about one-quarter of the Avestan
Avesta the extended Yasna are from the "Yasht"s, which are hymns to the individual "yazata"s. Unlike the "Yasna", "Visperad" and "Vendidad", the "Yasht"s and the other lesser texts of the Avesta are no longer used liturgically in high rituals. Aside from the "Yasht"s, these other lesser texts include the "Nyayesh" texts, the "Gah" texts, the "Siroza", and various other fragments. Together, these lesser texts are conventionally called "Khordeh Avesta" or "Little Avesta" texts. When the first "Khordeh Avesta" editions were printed in the 19th century, these texts (together with some non-Avestan language prayers) became a book of common prayer for lay