The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation of an Ancient Iranian State (Cambridge World Archaeology)

From the middle of the 3rd millennium BC until the coming of Cyrus the Great, southwestern Iran was referred to in Mesopotamian sources as the land of Elam. A heterogeneous collection of regions, Elam was home to a variety of groups, alternately the object of Mesopotamian aggression, and aggressors themselves; an ethnic group seemingly swallowed up by the vast Achaemenid Persian empire, yet a force strong enough to attack Babylonia in the last centuries BC. The Elamite language is attested as late as the Medieval era, and the name Elam as late as 1300 in the records of the Nestorian church. This book examines the formation and transformation of Elam's many identities through both archaeological and written evidence, and brings to life one of the most important regions of Western Asia, re-evaluates its significance, and places it in the context of the most recent archaeological and historical scholarship. Cover......Page 1 Half-title......Page 3 Series-title......Page 5 Title......Page 7 Copyright......Page 8 Dedication......Page 9 CONTENTS......Page 11 ILLUSTRATIONS......Page 12 PLATES......Page 16 TABLES......Page 18 PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS......Page 21 Acknowledgements for photographic reproduction......Page 25 ABBREVIATIONS......Page 26 NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION AND DATING SYSTEMS......Page 31 What is Elam?......Page 33 When did Elam exist?......Page 36 Where was Elam?......Page 37 Conclusion......Page 41 Introduction......Page 42 Highland Elam: the central Zagros zone......Page 44 Lowland Elam: Khuzistan: physical environment, climate and hydrology......Page 47 Climate then and now......Page 51 Early human impacts on the environment......Page 54 Natural resources......Page 56 Conclusion......Page 64 Introduction......Page 75 The origins of Susa: the Susa I period......Page 77 The Late Bakun period in Fars......Page 82 The Susa II period......Page 84 Fars during the Early Banesh phase......Page 101 Susa III......Page 103 Fars during the Middle and Late Banesh phase......Page 111 The Susa III writing system on the Iranian Plateau......Page 113 Conclusion......Page 115 Introduction......Page 117 Earliest cuneiform sources......Page 119 Elam and Awan in the Early Dynastic era......Page 122 The Central Western Zagros......Page 124 Susa in the pre-Akkadian third millennium B.C.......Page 125 Awan in Luristan?......Page 129 Trans-Elam and Trans-Elamite material culture......Page 130 Sargon of Agade......Page 132 Rimush......Page 135 Naram-Sin......Page 138 Dudu......Page 140 Akkadian politics and Susiana......Page 141 Susa during the Old Akkadian period......Page 143 The Fall of Agade......Page 153 Puzur-Inshushinak and his times......Page 154 Puzur-Inshushinak and Linear Elamite......Page 157 The secondary state of Awan under Puzur-Inshushinak?......Page 159 Susa, Anshan and the Third Dynasty of Ur......Page 162 Political disintegration and the rise of Shimashki......Page 171 Some archaeological correlations......Page 182 Conclusion......Page 188 Introduction......Page 192 Assyria, Babylonia and the sukkalmahs......Page 198 Khuzistan in the time of the sukkalmahs......Page 203 Dilmun, Magan, Bactria and Elam......Page 210 Conclusion......Page 214 7 THE KINGDOM OF SUSA AND ANSHAN......Page 220 Introduction......Page 221 Middle Elamite I (c. 1500–1400 BC)......Page 223 Middle Elamite I settlement at Susa and minor sites in Khuzistan......Page 226 Haft Tepe......Page 228 Middle Elamite II (c. 1400–1200 B.C.)......Page 237 Choga Zanbil......Page 254 After Untash-Napirisha......Page 262 Middle Elamite III (c. 1200–1100 B.C.)......Page 263 Developments in Anshan......Page 279 Babylonian revenge and the end of the Middle Elamite era......Page 284 Conclusion......Page 288 8 THE NEO-ELAMITE PERIOD......Page 291 Introduction......Page 292 Neo-Elamite I (c. 1000–744 B.C.)......Page 294 Neo-Elamite II (743–646 B.C.)......Page 295 Neo-Elamite III (647–539 BC)......Page 320 Late Elamite manifestations outside of Susiana and Anshan......Page 334 The fate of the Elamites......Page 338 Introduction......Page 341 Elam in the early Achaemenid period......Page 343 Elam in the time of Darius I......Page 346 Administrative organization in Elam under Darius......Page 352 Darius at Susa......Page 357 The palace of Artaxerxes I and Darius II......Page 367 Ethnicity and cultural identity in Achaemenid Elam and its environs......Page 369 Elamite religion in the Achaemenid heartland......Page 377 Elam in the time of Darius III......Page 380 Conclusion......Page 383 Introduction......Page 386 Elymais and the Seleucid Successors......Page 387 Southwestern Iran in the Seleucid period......Page 389 Susa......Page 390 Masjid-i Solaiman......Page 403 The Kossaeans......Page 405 The Elymaeans......Page 407 Elymais and the Parthian empire......Page 416 Elymais and Parthian Susa......Page 423 Elymaean rock reliefs......Page 433 Conclusion......Page 438 Introduction......Page 442 Elam in the early Sasanian period......Page 444 Gundeshapur......Page 451 Eran-xwarrah-Shapur-sharestan and its capital......Page 456 Shush i er-kar or Susa......Page 458 Conclusion......Page 462 The courte durée......Page 466 Of centres, peripheries and mosaics......Page 469 Ethnicity and ethnogenesis......Page 472 History and archaeology......Page 473 Elam’s progress......Page 474 Stories remaining to be written......Page 475 REFERENCES......Page 477 INDEX......Page 513 Cover 1 Half-title 3 Series-title 5 Title 7 Copyright 8 Dedication 9 CONTENTS 11 ILLUSTRATIONS 12 PLATES 16 TABLES 18 PREFACE AND ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 21 Acknowledgements for photographic reproduction 25 ABBREVIATIONS 26 NOTE ON TRANSLITERATION AND DATING SYSTEMS 31 1 ELAM: WHAT, WHEN, WHERE? 33 What is Elam? 33 When did Elam exist? 36 Where was Elam? 37 Conclusion 41 2 ENVIRONMENT, CLIMATE AND RESOURCES 42 Introduction 42 Highland Elam: the central Zagros zone 44 Lowland Elam: Khuzistan: physical environment, climate and hydrology 47 Indigenous systems of environmental classification 51 Climate then and now 51 Early human impacts on the environment 54 Natural resources 56 Conclusion 64 3 THE IMMEDIATE PRECURSORS OF ELAM 75 Introduction 75 The origins of Susa: the Susa I period 77 The Late Bakun period in Fars 82 The Susa II period 84 Fars during the Early Banesh phase 101 Susa III 103 Fars during the Middle and Late Banesh phase 111 The Susa III writing system on the Iranian Plateau 113 Conclusion 115 4 ELAM AND AWAN 117 Introduction 117 Earliest cuneiform sources 119 Elam and Awan in the Early Dynastic era 122 The Central Western Zagros 124 Developments in Northern Khuzistan 125 Susa in the pre-Akkadian third millennium B.C. 125 Awan in Luristan? 129 Trans-Elam and Trans-Elamite material culture 130 Sargon of Agade 132 Rimush 135 Manishtusu 138 Naram-Sin 138 Sharkalisharri 140 Dudu 140 Akkadian politics and Susiana 141 Susa during the Old Akkadian period 143 The Fall of Agade 153 Puzur-Inshushinak and his times 154 Puzur-Inshushinak and Linear Elamite 157 The secondary state of Awan under Puzur-Inshushinak? 159 5 THE DYNASTY OF SHIMASHKI 162 Susa, Anshan and the Third Dynasty of Ur 162 Political disintegration and the rise of Shimashki 171 Some archaeological correlations 182 Conclusion 188 6 THE GRAND REGENTS OF ELAM AND SUSA 192 Introduction 192 Assyria, Babylonia and the sukkalmahs 198 Khuzistan in the time of the sukkalmahs 203 Dilmun, Magan, Bactria and Elam 210 Sites in Fars 214 Conclusion 214 7 THE KINGDOM OF SUSA AND ANSHAN 220 Introduction 221 Middle Elamite I (c. 1500–1400 BC) 223 Middle Elamite I settlement at Susa and minor sites in Khuzistan 226 Haft Tepe 228 Middle Elamite II (c. 1400–1200 B.C.) 237 Choga Zanbil 254 After Untash-Napirisha 262 Middle Elamite III (c. 1200–1100 B.C.) 263 Developments in Anshan 279 Babylonian revenge and the end of the Middle Elamite era 284 Conclusion 288 8 THE NEO-ELAMITE PERIOD 291 Introduction 292 Neo-Elamite I (c. 1000–744 B.C.) 294 Neo-Elamite II (743–646 B.C.) 295 Neo-Elamite III (647–539 BC) 320 Late Elamite manifestations outside of Susiana and Anshan 334 The fate of the Elamites 338 9 ELAM IN THE ACHAEMENID EMPIRE 341 Introduction 341 Elam in the early Achaemenid period 343 Elam in the time of Darius I 346 Administrative organization in Elam under Darius 352 Darius at Susa 357 The palace of Artaxerxes I and Darius II 367 The palace of Artaxerxes II 369 Ethnicity and cultural identity in Achaemenid Elam and its environs 369 Elamite religion in the Achaemenid heartland 377 Elam in the time of Darius III 380 Conclusion 383 10 ELYMAIS 386 Introduction 386 Elymais and the Seleucid Successors 387 Southwestern Iran in the Seleucid period 389 Susa 390 Masjid-i Solaiman 403 The Kossaeans 405 The Elymaeans 407 Elymais and the Parthian empire 416 Elymais and Parthian Susa 423 Elymaean rock reliefs 433 Conclusion 438 11 ELAM UNDER THE SASANIANS AND BEYOND 442 Introduction 442 Elam in the early Sasanian period 444 Major settlements of the Sasanian period in Khuzistan 451 Gundeshapur 451 Eran-xwarrah-Shapur-sharestan and its capital 456 Shush i er-kar or Susa 458 Conclusion 462 12 CONCLUSION 466 The courte durée 466 Of centres, peripheries and mosaics 469 Ethnicity and ethnogenesis 472 History and archaeology 473 Elam’s progress 474 Stories remaining to be written 475 REFERENCES 477 INDEX 513 "From the middle of the 3rd millennium B.C. until the coming of Cyrus the Great, southwestern Iran was referred to in Mesopotamian sources as the land of Elam. A heterogeneous collection of regions, Elam was home to a variety of groups, alternately the object of Mesopotamian aggression, and aggressors themselves, an ethnic group seemingly swallowed up by the vast Achaemenid Persian empire, yet a force strong enough to attack Babylonia in the last centuries B.C. This book examines the formation and transformation of Elam's many identities through both archaeological and written evidence, and brings to life one of the most important regions of Western Asia, re-evaluates its significance, and places it in the context of the most recent archaeological and historical scholarship."--Jacket

Few of the major peoples of the ancient Near East have been as little studied as the Elamites, a disparate collection of people living in what is today southwestern Iran, and yet few had such an impact on the course of history from c. 2600 BC to the first centuries AD. As the first synthesis of Elamite archaeology to appear in English in over fifteen years, this volume will serve as a major resource for all scholars, students and laypeople interested in the ancient Near East.

While Elam civilization looks as not important or as a minor one for many other historians, Mr. Potts created a great book about these forgotten ancient Iranian people. I enjoyed reading the book a lot. Thank you for your great courage. I hope you will continue this great job by writing a book about the Medes. That is also a forgotton civilization. This text examines the formation and transformation of Elam's many identities through both archaeological and written evidence, and brings to life one of the most important regions of Western Asia