Álvarez-Mon, Javier. 2020. The Art of Elam CA. 4200–525 BC. London & New York: Routledge.
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 with 1,450 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.
Table of Contents
i. About this Book
ii. The Land of Elam
iii. The Elamite Collections
iv. Art Historical Considerations: Past and Present
v. Chronological Table
Part I. Elam before Elam (ca. 4200-2900 BC)
- 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)
Part II. The Rise of Elam (ca. 2900-1880 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)
Part III. The Golden Age (ca. 1880-1050 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)
Part IV. Between Golden Age and Empire (ca. 1050-525 BC)
- Elam in the First Millennium: Resilience and Renaissance
Conclusion: The Legacy of Elamite Art and its Future