ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the characteristics of the art of Elam within the background of a turbulent era of alternating conflict and alliances in which traditional Elamite resilience was repeatedly tested. By the late eighth century bc Elam had emerged as a mighty challenger to Assyrian supremacy leading to direct military confrontation, the invasion of western Elam and the destruction of Susa in 647 bc. Elam survived the onslaught and within two decades it had entered an artistic “renaissance” characterized by the interaction of local traditions, echoes of an Elamo-Assyrian artistic koine, and innovative Luristan traditions especially in metalwork. These streams are best exhibited in two lavishly provisioned tombs found by chance at Arjan and Jubaji (ca. 625–525 bc), which provide a tantalizing sample of artefacts that might be associated with the elites of the emerging Persian empire. By the mid-sixth century bc, the inhabitants of southwestern Iran were embedded in landscapes bearing the legacy of Elamite artistic achievements. This autochthonous heritage provided basic manufacturing, artistic and ideological tenets for Persian art and the representation of Persian royal power.
