User:SomeGuyWhoRandomlyEdits/Old Elamite period
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The Old Elamite period began around 2700 BC. Historical records mention the conquest of Elam by Enmebaragesi the Sumerian king of Kish in Mesopotamia. Three dynasties ruled during this period. We know of twelve kings of each of the first two dynasties, those of Awan (or Avan; c. 2400–2100 BC) and Simash (c. 2100–1970 BC), from a list from Susa dating to the Old Babylonian period. Two Elamite dynasties said to have exercised brief control over parts of Sumer in very early times include Awan and Hamazi; and likewise, several of the stronger Sumerian rulers, such as Eannatum of Lagash and Lugal-anne-mundu of Adab, are recorded as temporarily dominating Elam.
Old Elamite Period | |||||||||||
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circa 2700 BCE — circa 1500 BCE | |||||||||||
Capital |
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Common languages | Elamite language | ||||||||||
Religion | Matriarchal religion | ||||||||||
Government | Monarchy | ||||||||||
King of Elam | |||||||||||
• circa 2700 — 2680 BCE | Humbaba (first) | ||||||||||
• circa 1500 BCE | Kutik-Matlat (last) | ||||||||||
Historical era | Bronze Age | ||||||||||
• Established | circa 2700 BCE | ||||||||||
• Disestablished | circa 1500 BCE | ||||||||||
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Today part of | Iran |
The Avan dynasty was partly contemporary with that of the Mesopotamian emperor Sargon of Akkad, who not only defeated the Awan king Luhi-ishan and subjected Susa, but attempted to make Akkadian the official language there. From this time, Mesopotamian sources concerning Elam become more frequent, since the Mesopotamians had developed an interest in resources (such as wood, stone, and metal) from the Iranian plateau, and military expeditions to the area became more common. With the collapse of Akkad under Sargon's great great-grandson, Shar-kali-sharri, Elam declared independence under the last Avan king, Kutik-Inshushinak (c. 2240–2220 BC), and threw off the Akkadian language, promoting in its place the brief Linear Elamite script. Kutik-Inshushinnak conquered Susa and Anshan, and seems to have achieved some sort of political unity. Following his reign, the Awan dynasty collapsed as Elam was temporarily overrun by the Guti, a people from what is now north west Iran speaking a language isolate.