ABSTRACT

The Birth of Elam in History (Piotr Steinkeller)

This chapter is an overview of the earliest history of Elam as it may be reconstructed based on the testimony of written sources. Since those come predominantly from Mesopotamia, the reconstruction so obtained unavoidably is a view of Elam as seen largely from a Mesopotamian perspective. The time frame of the chapter is the late 4th millennium down to the beginning of the second millennium BC. Its purpose is to offer a coherent picture of the political, economic and cultural interactions that existed between the various polities of ancient Iran and the states and empires of Mesopotamia. Particular attention is paid to the native Iranian manifestations of statehood (such as the kingdoms of Awan and Shimashki, and the “empire” of Puzur-Inshushinak).