Elam

In this paper, an attempt has been made to gather information about the Elamite cities and lands in the period when the Awan dynasty was known as the ruler of the Elamite world, and some suggestions have been made about the history, chronology and genealogy of the Elamite rulers in this period. Finally, a new periodization on the history of Elam in the third millennium BC is proposed.

زبان ایلامی باستان یکی از کهن ترین زبان های جهان است که از آن نبشته های بسیاری به جا مانده است. این زبان کهن برای دهه ها زبانی جدا از دیگر زبان های جهان دانسته شده که نژاد مردمانش نیز ناشناخته و ناایرانی انگاشته شده است. کتاب پیش رو نگاهی دیگر اندیشانه و ژرف به این زبان کهن می اندازد و با انبوهی از گواهی های زبان شناسی که از آن میان گواهی های دستوری و واژگانی است، نشان می دهد که این زبان کهن و مردمان باستانیش را باید خویشاوند و هم زبان با دیگر مردمان آریایی و ایرانی نامید.

The present MA thesis aims to estimate the expansion of the Old Elamite kingdom in one of its glorious periods. In about 2000 BC the UR III Empire had been destroyed by the allied groups with the Šimaškian Kingdom being one of them. Following the destruction of this powerful empire, Khuzestan came again under the direct reign of the Elamites.
The Elamite Kingdom, first Šimaškian and then Sukalmakhs, and the Mesopotamians had prosperous relations until the attack of Hammurabi, the Babylonian King in ca. 1700 BCE. Over the span of three hundred years (1900-1600 BCE), Elam underwent one of its most powerful periods. During these three hundred years, the Elamite Kingdom had
established borders in the Western part; but there is little known about the Elamites frontiers in the East, North and South.
In this thesis, attempt is being made to discover those parts of Iran, which could have been under the influence of the Elamite Kingdom. Archaeological and written sources have been used for this purpose. Due to differing contents of the said materials and their different in methodological approaches, the writer has endeavored to arrive at
conclusions by studying each source separately , then comparing the two together, and finally attempting to interlock them together.
For the first chapter, Elamite and its neighbors toponyms were collected via written sources, i.e. Elamite and Mesopotamian texts. In the same chapter the role of various tribes of the Eastern sector of Mesopotamia were investigated. In the second chapter, through studies of archaeological data, number and size of the archaeological Sites in seven geographical districts were clarified including: Khuzestan,
Fars, Central Zagros, Bakhtiari Mountains, Pusht-i Kuh, Kerman, and the Northern Coast of the Persian Gulf.
In the third and final chapter, results of the first and second chapters were analyzed and submitted to comparative evaluation. In the first part, Elamite toponyms were classified and compared. Second section, comprising the archaeological data, were processed in the same manner.
Final section attempts to present a unified picture through both textual and archaeological data in order to establish the size of Elamite Kingdom over the three hundred years (1900-1600 BCE) period.

Historians consider the biblical account about Chedorlaomer's campaign against Sodom as a pious fiction (Genesis 14:1-20). However, the Gospels refer to it as a real story which is even described as essential to faith (Hebrews 6:20-7:2). According to the chronology drawn from the Masoretic text, Abraham's departure from Ur and his arrival in Canaan are dated in 1963 BCE when Abraham is 75 years old (Genesis 12:4-5). The revolt of Transjordan kings against Chedorlaomer occurs in the 13th year of his reign and the following year (1954 BCE) Chedorlaomer was shot by Abraham (Genesis 14:4-17).
A chronological reconstruction based on synchronisms shows that among dynasties from Sumerian lists the 3rd and last Elamite king of the Awan I dynasty was Kudur-Lagamar (1990-1954). Ashurbanipal, after his conquest of Elam and Susa ransacking, exposed (in 646 BCE) the capture of the goddess Nanaya (in Uruk) by Kudur-Lagamar which occured around 1300 years earlier (in 1968 BCE). The Spartoli tablets (c. 650 BCE) describe this famous attack of Babylonia by a coalition of evil kings named Kudur-KUKUmal, king of Elam, Tud!ula, king of Gutium, and Eri-Aku [king of Larsa]. This coalition of kings (Sumer, Larsa, Gutium) united under Kutur-Lagamar is quite likely, because all these kings were vassals or allies of the king of Elam (and Akkad) at that time, moreover, they came from neighboring regions. One can notice that Puzur-Insusinak, a powerful king of Elam, founded a new dynasty which has been classified as belonging to the kings of Akkad, which explains the gap of about 30 years between the end of the Elamite dynasty of Awan II and the beginning of the dynasty of Simaski. After the destruction of Ur by Kindadu, which marked the end of Ur III, the dynasty of Awan I has been postponed just after the dynasty ofUr I instead ofUr III.
The Chedorlaomer's route and the description of his actions show that this king came to this region near Egypt in order to maintain control over this new land trade route. This ambitious project had to make worry Amenemhat I (1975-1946) because southern Canaan was a big source of supply. In order to protect Egypt, Amenemhat I built the "Wall of the Ruler". In addition, first Execration Texts against Canaan and western Syria appear at this time. One can notice that the area of Sodom is called Shutu[m] in execration texts (then Moab after 1800 BCE).

I) The sign NIM, used with a topographic value, is first attested without any
doubt through Eanatum inscriptions (KUR NIMki), who ruled Lagaš around the
third quarter of the 3rd millennium BC. It is proposed to consider as unsuitable
the systematic translation of this sign by ‘Elam’, at least in 3rd millennium BC
Mesopotamian texts.
The different meanings and values of this sign are reviewed here, in a strictly
chronological way, and more particularly the changing topographic reality this
sign encompassed.
II) Then the distribution area of the ‘Elamite’ language speakers will be examined,
through an evaluation of the onomastic features (above all anthroponomy)
available in the cuneiform texts.
Finally, hypotheses about Susa will be proposed, distinguishing three different
and independent spheres of data: the material assemblage (archaeology),
records of political control and indications of linguistic / cultural identity.

SUMMARY
This thesis shall identify the date origin of the composite bow within Mesopotamia and Elam. and both identify and quantify the design factors which lead to increased performance possible with composite construction. To accomplish this, the thesis begins by summarizing the problems and flaws that currently exist in the field of history as it applies specifically to archery and bow use. With problems identified, the thesis will then introduce the reader to the basics of bow mechanics, thereby laying the basis for physical testing. This in turn will empirically demonstrate flaws in the current iconographical method of bow identification. The thesis will then devise a new method for iconographic identification of composite construction that has greater proven accuracy, based upon proportional length, which will link extant artifacts with both physical test results and iconographic evidence.

The reader shall then be led through a complete reevaluation of iconographical evidence for Mesopotamia and Elam starting at the beginning of the second millennium BCE and working backwards using this new method of iconographic evaluation to determine the point at which composite bow technology first appears in the ancient Near East. The thesis will finish with an overview of the above accomplishments and their potential impact on the study of ancient and military history.

KEY TERMS
Ancient History, Military History, Archery, Bow, Composite, Experimental Archaeology, Egypt, Mesopotamia, Elam, Arrow

ABSTRACT: This lecture (no. 11.a) looks at four eastern regions of the Near East during the Late Bronze Age, namely (1) the Kingdom of Mittani/Maitani (also termed Nahrin, Naharin, the “Land of the Hurrians,” and Hanigalbat), (2) the Kingdom of Assyria, (3) the Kingdom of Kassite Babylonia (Third Dynasty of Babylon …), and (4) Elam and the Elamites (Susa and Anshan …). The "Sea Peoples" movements, raids, and settlement (see last lecture: no.13) do not really affect these regions directly --(other than the ripple effect via changing polities, new hybrid societies, some changing trade networks and commodities)--  and the kingdom of Assyria survives, albeit entering into a "Dark Age" of sorts (see next lecture: no. 12). In future course offerings, this lecture will be augmented significantly, but the current materials offer a basic look at the Late Bronze Age within Mesopotamia and related regions. UPDATED: 2022 Spring offering.

The perception of Persia in Judaean/Jewish texts from antiquity contributed to the construction of a Judaean/Jewish identity. Genesis 14 gives an example of this; in it, Abra(ha)m wages war with a coalition headed by King Chedorlaomer of Elam. The article argues that Genesis 14 is one of the latest additions to the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 12–36), composed in the Persian or early Hellenistic period. It was conceived and used as an ethnic identity-forming story. The characters in the narrative represented groups and nations in the neighbourhood of the province of Judah. Abra(ha)m was perceived as the ancestor of the Judaeans and the inhabitants of the province Beyond-the-River. The King of Elam represented the Persian Empire. The article uses redaction criticism to argue that Genesis 14 is among the latest additions to the patriarchal narrative in the late Persian or Hellenistic period. Moreover, it uses a combination of philological and historical methods to argue that the description of Abra(ha)m as hāʿibrî (traditionally translated “the Hebrew,” Gen 14:13) characterises him as a person from the region Eber-nāri (Beyond-the-River). The article uses similar methods to argue that the names of people and places in Genesis 14 referred to political entities in and around Judah. Eventually, the article uses Anthony D. Smith’s theory of ethnic community and elements from postcolonial theory as “reading lenses” and a framework for analysing Genesis 14. Reading this way underscores that Genesis 14 originated and worked as an ethnic identity-forming story.

Recent scholarship has begun to unveil the culturally rich and dynamic landscape of southwest Iran during the first half of the first millennium BCE (aka the Neo-Elamite period) and its significance as the incubation ground for the Persian Empire. In Profiling Death. Neo-Elamite Mortuary Practices, Afterlife Beliefs, and Entanglements with Ancestors, Yasmina Wicks continues the investigation of this critical epoch from the perspective of the mortuary record, bringing forth fascinating clues as to the ritual practices, beliefs, social structures and individual identities of Elam’s lowland and highland inhabitants. Enmeshed with its neighbours, yet in many ways culturally distinct, Elam receives its due treatment here as a core component of the ancient Near East.

When Iraq was founded in the early twentieth century, Iran became a neighbor on its western border with a country that was considered the inheritor of the Mesopotamian civilizations. The civilizations that were the neighbors of the civilizations located on Iranian plateau already thousands of years ago. This reneighborhood led to a relationship between the two countries that had been forgotten for millennia after the establishment of the Achaemenids. The question posed in this article, is whether the relations between the two countries in the contemporary period and the relations between the two lands in the pre-Achaemenid (7th century BC) are similar. This result has been obtained through library resources and analytical-comparative method that despite deep cultural and commercial ties, the relationship between the two countries has been fighting and competitive with border and territorial disputes in both periods. Part of border and territorial disputes was rooted in the conflict of Geopolitical constraints and the other part was due to territorial expansionist tendencies. Regional rivalries and aggressive intentions have led rulers in both eras to try to control relations in a variety of similar ways, including alliances with rival opponents, increased military power, and temporary peace agreements.

წინამდებარე ნაშრომი წარმოადგენს ელამური ენის ლექსიკონს, სადაც შესულია თანამედროვე ზაგროსის მთიანეთის ტერიტორიაზე (დასავლეთ ირანი) ძვ.წ. III ათასწლეულიდან გავრცელებული ენის ძირითადი ლექსიკა. ელამური ენის მოკლე გრამატიკული აღწერის შემდეგ წარმოდგენილია რამდენიმე ასეული ლექსიკური ერთეული, რომლებიც ელამურ ტექსტებში შედარებით ხშირად არის გამოყენებული. ლექსიკონი პრაქტიკულად სრულად მოიცავს სვოდეშის სიის სიტყვებს, ამასთან დამატებულია რამდენიმე ისეთი ერთეული, რომელიც განსაკუთრებულად საინტერესოა ხსენებული ენის შედარებით ჭრილში შესწავლის პროცესში.

"This book, emphasizing Genesis 14 and Psalm 110, contributes to the history of composition of the patriarchal narratives in the book of Genesis and to the history of theology of the Second Temple period.
Genesis 14 was added on a late stage and in two steps: first, Genesis 14* and later, the so-called Melchizedek episode (ME, vv. 18-20). Genesis 14 is the result of inner-biblical exegesis: both Genesis 14* and the later ME originated from scribal activity in which several earlier biblical texts have served as templates/literary building blocks.
As for Genesis 14*, in particular three text groups were important: the Table of Nations, the wilderness wandering narratives and annals from the Deuteronomistic History. As for the ME, it is an example of haggadic exegesis presupposing and without any prehistory independent of its narrative framework. ME is the result of an assimilation between two texts, Genesis 14* and Psalm 110, which assumedly at one point were read as a narrative and a poetic version respectively of Abraham’s war with the kings.
Genesis 14 has no value as a source to the history of the patriarchal era and to the religion of pre-Israelite Jerusalem. In contrast, it shows how post-exilic scribes’ painstaking study of biblical texts resulted in the creation of new biblical texts.


Reviewed in:
Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 35.5 (2011), 85-86.
Zeitschrift für die alttestamentliche Wissenschaft 123 (2011), 145-146.
Journal for the Study of Judaism 43 (2012), 93-96."

The perception of Persia in Judaean/Jewish texts from antiquity contributed to the construction of a Judaean/Jewish identity. Genesis 14 gives an example of this; in it, Abra(ha)m wages war with a coalition headed by King Chedorlaomer of Elam. The article argues that Genesis 14 is one of the latest additions to the patriarchal narratives (Genesis 12–36), composed in the Persian or early Hellenistic period. It was conceived and used as an ethnic identity-forming story. The characters in the narrative represented groups and nations in the neighbourhood of the province of Judah. Abra(ha)m was perceived as the ancestor of the Judaeans and the inhabitants of the province Beyond-the-River. The King of Elam represented the Persian Empire. The article uses redaction criticism to argue that Genesis 14 is among the latest additions to the patriarchal narrative in the late Persian or Hellenistic period. Moreover, it uses a combination of philological and historical methods to argue that the de...

In this paper, a summary of the existing knowledge about the political history and chronology and genealogy of the rulers of Elam from the oldest known historical period to the beginning of the Šimaški dynasty (around 2700 to 2100 BC) is given. We have divided this period into three parts: the first kings of Elam and Awan (2700 to 2400 BC), the second dynasty of Awan (2400 to 2200 BC) and the third dynasty of Awan (2200 to 2100 BC) and we have tried to New findings, assess old beliefs, and make suggestions about the order and letters of the kings at this time. This is a step towards reforming the chronology and genealogy and the list of rulers of the Iranian lands.

The Early Beginning of the Conflict between Good and Evil, and its First Impact on Art

Άρθρο του Μουχάμαντ Σαμσαντίν (τότε Κοσμά) Μεγαλομμάτη στο περιοδικό Τρίτο Μάτι, 18 (Σεπτέμβριος 1992), σελ. 62-65

Article by Muhammad Shamsaddin (then Cosmas) Megalommatis in the monthly review Trito Mati (Third Eye), 18 (September 1992), p. 62-65

First published online on 3rd June 2021 here:
https://profmegalommatistextsingreek.wordpress.com/2021/06/03/η-απαρχή-της-σύγκρουσης-καλού-κακού-κα/

The Old Elamite documents are indeed rare, but from Susa in the Sukkalmah Period there are some 550 legal documents in Akkadian which provide an excellent opportunity to study Elamite society and culture. The present paper edits and translates a unique and very interesting will made by Gimil-Adad, a man from Susa in the 17th century BC. In order to provide the historical context for the proper study of the content of this will, we first outline the historical situation of the period. Then we deal with some legal aspects of testament law based on contemporary documents from Susa, Mesopotamia and Egypt. This study shows that parents could not arbitrarily deprive their children from inheritance. However, children’s failure to provide for the aging parent could justify the disinheritance. The text itself sheds light on the social and legal status of women in Elam and demonstrates most clearly that women had capacity to do legal transactions. As there is no English translation of the documents we have provided an English version as well

Trough this article we will try to look closely to the iconographyc program which the neoasirian soverign Sennacherib wanted to develop in its “Palace without Rival”. The many reliefs which Layard exposed, have shown not only a vivid interest for the graphic representations of the sovereign power through their military victories, but also the style innovations which wanted to offer the image of the empire. “The Palace Without Rival” was conceived like more distinction of between all the neoassirian palaces, and in his reliefs one shows us great part of his history and of his reign.

In the Early of 1st millennium BC, in the region of Lorestan, Iran, the Ellipi kingdom formed and played a significant role in regional developments, particularly in relation with two rival governments, Assyria and Elam. The political history reconstruction of the Ellipi kingdom is more reliant on Assyrian resources which cover just very short and particular part of its life. The first recorded encounter of Assyrians to Ellipi goes back to 866 BC, from then on up to 744 BC Ellipi was an independent state, though in later years becomes the scene of Assyria and Elam competition. The Ellipi was unified Elamites due to their propinquity. With the increased power of Medians, the Ellipi was deleted from the scene of the history in the late 7th century BC. Using Assyrian sources  and analyzing their data and of course with the help of archaeologic data, it has been tried through this paper to reconstruct the political history of Ellipi Kingdom.

In den Jahren 2010 und 2012 wurden während der Ausgrabungen in Haft Tappeh einige Metallgegenstände entdeckt, die es erlauben, Aussagen über die Herstellungsmethode des Griffes eines bestimmten Dolchtyps – den tüllenförmigen Dolchen mit dem Mondsichelgriff treffen zu können. In dem nachfolgenden Artikel wird versucht, den möglichen Herstellungsprozess dieses Grifftyps nachzuvollziehen.

The rise of Elamite culture and its state formation on the southwestern Iran, beside historical resources, is an archaeologically problem due to the lower discovered evidences during recent years, which restricted them just to the known materials of Susa and few other sites. But stratigraphic excavations at Tepe Senjar on the Northern Kuzistan from 2007-2009 provided information related to this period such as architectural evidence, pottery assemblage, seal and also samples for radiocarbon dating. The evidences found from trenches A and E of this site represented date on the site formation process, chronological framework of Susiana plain, cultural relations to the ancient Susa and other center of the Mesopotamia and Zagros. Excavated finds show that Tepe Senjar has been occupied from the late fifth millennium B.C, and was continued to proto-Elamite (Susa III) as well as Susa IV A. This site was settled again during Susa IV B and was continued successively until the Shimashki, Sukkal Mah and Middle Elamite periods.

1.    ABSTRACT………………………………………………………………………... 2

2.    THE "REGULAR WORLD" IN ENKI AND THE WORLD ORDER………... 2

3.    MYTH AND THE "REGULAR WORLD" ORDER…………………………… 2

4.    MYTH AND THE "OTHER WORLD" ORDER……………………………...... 3

5.    THE MARTU, ENKI'S JOURNEY, AND STRUCTURE IN
        "ENKI AND THE  WORLD ORDER"…………………………………………. 4

6.    INANNA'S COMPLAINT AND ENKI'S RESPONSE………………….. 5

7.    MYTH, RITUAL, AND THE CENTRAL CONCERN OF
        "ENKI AND THE WORLD ORDER"………………………………………….. 6

8.    THE CENTRAL CONCERN OF EWO……………………………….....…………..6

9.    RITUAL IN EWO…………………………………………………………............... 6

10.  CONCLUSION……………………………………………………………….....……. 7