Elam: The Ancient High Country

Q: What does the name Elam mean?

Elam means "high country" or "highlands." The Bible claims the region was named for Elam, son of Shem, son of Noah.

Q: Has Elamite script been deciphered?

Yes. Elamite script was deciphered in 2020.

Q: How long did Elam last?

The Elamite Civilization lasted from c. 3200 to c. 539 BCE.

Q: How did Elam fall?

Elam lost power after joining the coalition of Babylonians, Medes, Persians, and others to topple the Neo-Assyrian Empire circa 612 BCE. Afterwards, it came under the control of the Achaemenid Persian Empire.

Joshua J. Mark

Definition

Elam was a region in the Near East corresponding to the modern-day provinces of Ilam and Khuzestan in southern Iran (though it also included part of modern-day southern Iraq) whose civilization spanned thousands of years from circa 3200 to circa 539 BCE.

More about: Elam

Timeline

c. 4200 BCE
Founding of the city of Susa.
c. 3200 BCE - c. 2700 BCE
Proto-Elamite period.
c. 2700 BCE - c. 1600 BCE
Old Elamite period.
2700 BCE
First war in recorded history between Elam and Sumer; Sumer wins.
c. 1750 BCE
Elam conquers Ur.
c. 1500 BCE - c. 1100 BCE
Middle Elamite period.
c. 1275 BCE - 1240 BCE
Reign of the Elamite king Untash-Napirisha; Construction of the great temple complex of Dur-Untash (Chogha Zanbil).
1184 BCE - 1155 BCE
Reign of the Elamite king Shutruk-Nakhkunte who establishes the Elamite Empire.
c. 1100 BCE - c. 539 BCE
Neo-Elamite period.
648 BCE
War between Assyria and the Elamites.
c. 646 BCE
Destruction of the Elamite city of Susa by Ashurbanipal of the Neo-Assyrian Empire
c. 539 BCE
Elam is absorbed into the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great.
187 BCE - 224 CE
Elamite culture is continued by the Elamite nation-state of Elymais until it is absorbed by the Persian Sassanian Empire.