Description
Book SynopsisThe late 7th and 6th centuries B.C. were a period of tremendous upheaval and change in ancient western Asia, marked by the destruction of the Assyrian Empire, the rise and collapse of the Neo-Babylonian state, and the stunning ascent of what was to become the Achaemenid Persian Empire, the largest polity the world had yet seen. Of the major cultural entities involved in these far-reaching events, Elam has long remained the least understood. The essays contained in this book are part of a continuing reassessment of the nature and significance of Elam in the early 1st millennium B.C., with a focus on the relationship between “Elamite” culture of the Neo-Elamite period and the emerging “Persian” culture in southwestern Iran in the 7th and 6th centuries B.C.
The conception of this volume goes back to the 2003 meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research that took place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where two sessions were dedicated to the rich cultural heritage of ancient Iran. It was also the first time that Iranian archaeology was represented at ASOR since the Iranian Revolution. This volume contains 14 contributions by leading scholars in the discipline, organized into 3 sections: archaeology, texts, and images (art history).
The volume is richly illustrated with more than 200 drawings and photographs.
Table of ContentsIntroduction Javier Álvarez-Mon, Mark Garrison, and David Stronach
Part I: Archaeology
A Note on the Limits of Anšan D. T. Potts
Landscapes of Death in Susiana during the Last Half of the 2nd Millennium b.c. Elizabeth Carter
Part II: Texts
Elamite as Administrative Language: From Susa to Persepolis Gian Pietro Basello
Parnakka’s Feast: šip in Pārsa and Elam Wouter Henkelman
Elamitas Frente a Persas: El Reino Independiente de Anšan Enrique Quintana Cifuentes
English summary: Elamites and Persians: The Independent Kingdom of Anšan Iranians in Neo-Elamite Texts Jan Tavernier
Darius, l’héritier légitime et les premiers Achéménides François Vallat
Parsumaš, Anšan, and Cyrus Matt Waters
Part III: Images
The Golden Griffin from Arjan Javier Álvarez-Mon
The Seal of “Kuraš the Anzanite Son of Šešpes” (Teispes) PFS 93*: Susa—Anšan—Persepolis Mark B. Garrison
New Evidence for Mannean Art: An Assessment of Three Glazed Tiles from Qalaichi (Izirtu) Y. Hassanzadeh and H. Mollasalehi
Elam in the Imperial Imagination: From Nineveh to Persepolis Margaret C. Root
Court Dress and Riding Dress at Persepolis: New Approaches to Old Questions David Stronach
Postscript: The Legacy of Elam Javier Álvarez-Mon and Mark Garrison
