Aryan or
Arya is a term originally used as an ethnocultural self-designation by Indo-Iranians in ancient times, in contrast to the nearby outsiders known as 'non-Aryan'. In Ancient India, the term
ฤฬrya was used by the Indo-Aryan speakers of the Vedic period as an endonym (self-designation) and in reference to a region known as
ฤryฤvarta, where the Indo-Aryan culture emerged. In the
Avesta scriptures, ancient Iranian peoples similarly used the term
airya to designate themselves as an ethnic group, and in reference to their mythical homeland,
Airyanวm Vaฤวฐล. The stem also forms the etymological source of place names such as
Alania and
Iran.