Elamite Funerary Clay Heads

The ancient Iranian civilization of Elam developed along the banks of rivers and in the Zagros Mountains, in what are now the provinces of Khuzistan and Fars. Elamite civilization lasted at least two thousand years: If we include the Proto-Elamite period, then it can be said to stretch all the way f...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNear Eastern archaeology Vol. 68; no. 3; pp. 114 - 122
Main Author Alvarez-Mon, Javier
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Atlanta, GA American Schools of Oriental Research 01.09.2005
Scholars Press
University of Chicago Press
Subjects
Ancient civilizations
Ancient civilizations of the near east
Archaeological excavation
Archaeology
Art and archaeology
Caves
Clay
Excavations
Eyes
Funerary rituals
Hair
Head
Iran
Mesopotamia and Near East
National museums
Portraits
Praehistorical periods
Tombs
Elamite
Iran
Asia
Africa
Belief
Clay
Civilization
Portrait
Sculpture
Tradition
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Summary:The ancient Iranian civilization of Elam developed along the banks of rivers and in the Zagros Mountains, in what are now the provinces of Khuzistan and Fars. Elamite civilization lasted at least two thousand years: If we include the Proto-Elamite period, then it can be said to stretch all the way from the foundation of Susa at around 4200 BCE to the emergence of the Achaemenid Persian period in the sixth century BCE. It arguably ranks with its contemporaries in Mesopotamia and Egypt in importance, although it is far less well understood. Even the name by which we refer to this enigmatic civilization is puzzling. Elam may be derived from Elamite Ha(l)tamti, meaning "gracious lord land," or "high land."2 It is a combination of highland and lowland traditions, however, that give Elamite culture its unique character.
ISSN:1094-2076
2325-5404
DOI:10.1086/NEA25067610