Elam

Elam was an ancient civilization in southwestern Iran, centered on Susa, whose history extended from the third millennium BCE into the first millennium BCE.

Susa: An ancient city in southwestern Iran that served as a major political and cultural center of Elam. Susa was Elam’s principal center and one of its longest-lived cities.
Elamite language: An ancient language of southwestern Iran, recorded in cuneiform and not securely classified within a larger language family. Its inscriptions provide direct evidence for Elamite administration and royal claims.
Shutruk-Nahhunte: A king of Elam in the twelfth century BCE who campaigned in Babylonia and brought monuments to Susa. His campaigns made Elam’s power visible through captured Babylonian monuments.
Akkadian Empire: A Mesopotamian empire founded by Sargon of Akkad in the twenty-fourth century BCE. Akkadian rule and campaigns provide an early imperial counterpart to Elam’s neighboring power.
Behistun Inscription: A multilingual royal inscription commissioned by Darius I on a cliff in western Iran in the sixth century BCE. Its Elamite version documents the language’s use under Achaemenid rule.
Proto-Elamite script: A still-undeciphered writing system used in Iran around the end of the fourth millennium BCE. Its early use at Susa places it among the region’s first written records.
Elamite cuneiform: A cuneiform writing tradition used to record the Elamite language and, in some settings, Akkadian. Elamite rulers used this script to issue inscriptions and preserve royal records.
Kudur-Nahhunte: An Elamite king who invaded Babylonia around 1155 BCE and helped end the Kassite dynasty. His conquest marks a major Elamite intervention in Babylonian political history.
Ur III: A Mesopotamian dynasty that ruled from Ur in the late third millennium BCE. Ur III records depict Elam as both a trading partner and a target of military expansion.
Susa in the Achaemenid Empire: The role of Susa as a royal and administrative center under the Achaemenid kings. Achaemenid use of Susa continued the city’s prominence after independent Elamite rule.

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