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Elam
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Choghā Zanbīl: ziggurat Elam, Iran Ruins of Susa, Elam, capital of the Achaemenian Empire during the reign of Darius I, 522–486 bc
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Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
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Tomb of Mohammed Bin Ali, Salalah, Oman.
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Choghā Zanbīl: ziggurat
Choghā Zanbīl: ziggurat The ziggurat at Choghā Zanbīl, near Susa, Iran.

Elam

ancient kingdom, Iran
Also known as: Ḥaltami, Elamtu, Susiana
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History

Elam, ancient country in southwestern Iran approximately equivalent to the modern region of Khūzestān. Four prominent geographic names within Elam are mentioned in ancient sources: Awan, Anshan, Simash, and Susa. Susa was Elam’s capital, and in classical sources the name of the country is sometimes Susiana. Throughout the late prehistoric periods, Elam was closely tied culturally to Mesopotamia. Later, perhaps because of domination by the Akkadian dynasty (c. 2334–c. 2154 bce), Elamites adopted the Sumero-Akkadian...

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