ABSTRACT
The history of Elam commences with the appearance of the proto-cuneiform writing system in Susa III and the mention of its name in administrative texts of Urukagina of Lagash around the middle of the 3rd millennium BC. However, widespread evidence of common artistic expressions in glyptic art originating from an Elamite cultural background can be seen at the beginning of 3rd millennium BC, with a homogenous cultural horizon involving the main political structures of western, central and eastern Ira. As proposed by H. Pittman, the differences in iconography between the glyptic art of Uruk and Susa could be explained by the types of economic activities at both centres. Between the Proto-Elamite expressions and the appearance of the first evidence of iconographic and stylistic traits rooted in Elamite cultural heritage, Susian glyptic production is very close to that of the contemporary Mesopotamian ateliers.
