Javier Álvarez-Mon

Mark B. Garrison

Includes papers from a meeting of the American Schools of Oriental Research, held in Philadelphia, Pa., 2003.

Elam and Persia

The Art of Elam ca. 4200-525 BC offers a view of, and a critical reflection on, the art history of one of the world’s first and least-known civilizations, illuminating a significant chapter of our human past. Not unlike a gallery of historical paintings, this comprehensive treatment of the rich heritage of ancient Iran showcases a visual trail of the evolution of human society, with all its leaps and turns, from its origins in the earliest villages of southwest Iran at around 4200 BC to the rise of the Achaemenid Persian empire in ca. 525 BC. Richly illustrated in full colour with 1450 photographs, 190 line drawings, and digital reconstructions of hundreds of artefacts—some of which have never before been published—The Art of Elam goes beyond formal and thematic boundaries to emphasize the religious, political, and social contexts in which art was created and functioned. Such a magisterial study of Elamite art has never been written making The Art of Elam ca. 4200-525 BC a ground-breaking publication essential to all students of ancient art and to our current understanding of the civilizations of the ancient Near East.

The Art of Elam CA. 4200–525 BC

The 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.

The Birth of Susa (ca. 4200-3800 BC) -- From Village to City (ca. 3800-3100 BC) -- The Proto-Elamite Period : Susa and the Highlands (ca. 3100-2900 BC) -- The Age of City States (ca. 2900-2340 BC) -- Susa and Akkad (ca. 2340-2100 BC) -- Puzur-Inshushinak and His Time (ca. 2100-2050 BC) -- The Shimashki and the Downfall of Ur (ca. 2050-1880 BC) -- The Sukkalmahs : Reign of the "Great Kings" (ca. 1880-1500 BC) -- The Kidinuid Era (ca. 1500-1400 BC) -- Untash-Napirisha and His City of Gods (14th Century BC) -- The Shutrukid House (ca. 1190-1050 BC) -- Elam in the First Millennium : Resilience and Renaissance -- Conclusion : The Legacy of Elamite Art and its Future.

The Art of Elam, Ca. 4200-525 BC

Yasmina Wicks

Gian Pietro Basello

Amongst the civilizations to participate in the dynamic processes of contact and interchange that gave rise to complex societies in the ancient Near East, Elam has remained one of the most obscure, at times languishing in the background of scholarly inquiry. In recent years, however, an increasing body of academic publications have acknowledged its relevance and suggested that its legacy was more considerable and long-lasting than previously estimated. The Elamite World assembles a group of 40 international scholars to contribute their expertise to the production of a solid, lavishly illustrated, English language treatment of Elamite civilization. It covers topics such as its physical setting, historical development, languages and people, material culture, art, science, religion and society, as well as the legacy of Elam in the Persian empire and its presence in the modern world. This comprehensive and ambitious survey seeks for Elam, hardly a household name, a noteworthy place in our shared cultural heritage. It will be both a valuable introductory text for a general audience and a definitive reference source for students and academics.

Javier Álvarez-Mon

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