THE

ELAMITES
Clyde E. Billington, Ph.D.
 GENESIS 10:22 LISTS
ELAM AS A SON OF SHEM.
HOWEVER, THE ELAMITE
LANGUAGE IS NOT A
SEMITIC LANGUAGE; IT IS
AN ISOLATE
 ANCIENT ELAM
• MAINLY LOCATED IN WHAT-IS-TODAY IRAN/ PERSIA, BUT PARTS
WERE IN WHAT-IS-TODAY SOUTHEASTERN IRAQ
• ELAMITE CULTURE WAS HEAVILY INFLUENCED BY THE
ANCIENT SUMERIANS AND AKKADIANS OF MESOPOTAMIA.
• CITY OF SUSA IN ENGLISH TRANSLATIONS OF THE OLD
TESTAMENT IS CALLED “SHUSHAN” BUT THE HEBREW COULD
ALSO BE TRANSLITERATED AS “SUSAN.”
• ELAM CALLED SUSIANA BY THE GREEKS AND ROMANS AFTER
ITS ANCIENT CAPITAL OF SUSA
• CITY OF SUSA LATER BECAME ONE OF THE FOUR CAPITALS OF
THE PERSIAN EMPIRE
• DANIEL SPENT TIME IN ANCIENT SUSA (DANIEL. 8:2)
• EVENTS IN THE BOOK OF ESTHER TOOK PLACE AT SUSA
(ESTHER 2:2)
ANCIENT SILVER
CUP FROM ELAM.
DATES TO 2100 BC
WRITTEN IN
LINER ELAMITE
SCRIPT
 INDUS
CIVILIZATION
SEAL

COPY OF A
CLYNDER SEAL
FROM INDUS
CIVILIZATION
FOUND AT SITE
OF ANCIENT
SUSA.
 INDUS
CIVILIZATION
BEADS FOUND
AT SUSA
 PERIODS OF ELAMITE
HISTORY
PROTO-ELAMITE PERIOD CA. 3200 - 2700 BC
OLD ELAMITE PERIOD CA. 2700 - 1500 BC
MIDDLE ELAMITE PERIOD CA. 1500 -1100 BC
NEO-ELAMITE PERIOD CA. 1100 - 540 BC
PROTO-ELAMITE
SCRIPT
DATES TO CA. 2800 BC
BUT SARGON THE GREAT
REPALCED IT IN 2300 BC
WITH CUNEIFORM-SIGNS
AND LOGOGRAMS WHICH
THE ELAMITES USED TO
WRITE THEIR OWN
LANGUAGE.
 LINEAR
ELAMITE
DEVELOPED AFTER FALL
OF AKKADIAN EMPIRE IN
CA. 2200 BC
DEVELOPED LINEAR
ELAMITE SCRIPT AS A
REACTION AGAINST
AKKADIAN CONTROL
ONLY LASTED ABOUT A
CENTURY
ELAMITES WENT BACK
TO CUNEIFORM
RECENTLY SCHOLARS
HAVE BEEN ABLE TO
TRANSLATE THE FEW
DOCUMENTS WRITTEN
IN LINEAR ELAMITE
 THE ELAMITE RELIGION
WAS BASICALLY THE
SAME AS THAT OF THE
ANCIENT SUMERIANS BUT
WITH ELAMITE NAMES
AND A FEW ADDITIONAL
MINOR DEITIES
 OLD ELAMITE PERIOD
• OLD ELAMITE PERIOD LASTED CA. 2700 BC TO 1500 BC
• ELAM AT FIRST DOMINATED BY SUMERIANS FROM CITIES OF
KISH, UR, AND LAGASH.
• SARGON THE GREAT CONQUERED BOTH SUMER AND ELAM
IN CA. 2300 BC.
• ELAMITES ADOPTED CUNEIFORM TO WRITE THEIR
LANGUAGE BUT BRIEFLY DEVELOPED THE “LINEAR ELAMITE
SCRIPT” AFTER FALL OF AKKADIAN EMPIRE IN CA. 2200 BC .
• ELAM WAS UNDER AKKADIAN CONTROL UNTIL FALL OF
AKKADIAN EMPIRE IN CA. 2200 BC TO AMORITES.
• AFTER FALL OF THE AKKADIAN EMPIRE, ELAM CAME TO
DOMINATE MUCH OF SOUTHERN SUMER INCLUDING THE
CITY OF UR
• THIS IS THE PERIOD OF KING KEDORLAOMER WHO IS
MENTIONED IN GENESIS 14:1.
 GENESIS 14:1
AT THAT TIME AMRAPHEL KING OF SHINAR (SUMER),
ARIOCH KING OF ELLASAR, KEDORLAOMER KING OF
ELAM, AND TIDAL KING OF NATIONS WENT TO WAR
AGAINST BERA KING OF SODOM, BIRSHA KING OF
GOMORRAH, SHINAB KING ADMAH, SHEMEBER OF THE
ZEBOIIM PEOPLE, AND BELA, WHICH IS SAME AS THE
CITY OF ZOAR. ALL OF THESE LATTER KINGS JOINED
FORCES IN THE VALLEY OF SIDDIM, IN THE DEAD SEA
AREA. FOR 12 YEARS THEY HAD BEEN SUBJECT TO
KEDORLAOMER. BUT IN THE 13TH YEAR THEY
REVOLTED.
 KEDOR-LAOMER
IS AN ELAMITE NAME
• WHILE THE NAME KEDOR-LAOMER IS NOT
FOUND IN THE VERY SPARCE HISTORICAL
RECORDS OF THE KINGDOM OF ELAM,
KEDORLAOMER IS UNQUESTIONABLY AN
ANCIENT ELAMITE NAME.
• THE ELAMITE KING KUDUR-NAHHUNTE IS
KNOWN TO HAVE ENDED THE THIRD
DYNASTY OF UR IN CA. 2005 BC.
 ELAMITE
CONTROL OVER SUMER
• ELAMITE CONTROL OVER SUMER LASTED UNTIL ABOUT 1760 BC
WHEN, THE AMORITE KING HAMMURABI OF BABYLON DROVE
THEM OUT.
• HAMMURABI BEGAN THE OLD BABYLONIAN EMPIRE WHICH
LASTED UNTIL THE MILITARY CAMPAIGN OF THE HITTITE KING
MURSILI I WHO IN CA. 1595 BC CONQUERED ALL OF
MESOPOTAMIA.
• KING MURSILI I WAS ASSASSINATED BY HIS SISTER AND
BROTHER-IN-LAW, AND MESOPOTAMIA LEFT IN A POLITICAL
VACUUM.
• THE KASSITE PEOPLE FROM THE ZAGROS MOUNTAINS TO THE
EAST OF SUMER CAPTURED BABYLON SHORTLY AFTER 1595 BC
AND THE MITANNI TOOK NORTHERN MESOPOTAMIA
 THE FAMOUS
LAW CODE OF HAMMURABI
WAS FOUND IN 1901
BY FRENCH ARCHAEOLOGISTS
IN THE ELAMITE
CAPITAL CITY OF SUSA
THE LAW CODE OF HAMMURABI WAS CARRIED OFF
AS A TROPHY OF WAR IN CA. 1125 BC, PROBABLY
BY THE ELAMITE KING SHUTRUK-NAHHUNTE WHO
SACKED BABYLON.
 KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR I
(1125-1104 BC)
• NEBUCHADNEZZAR I RETALIATED FOR THE SACK OF
BABYLON BY ATTACKING INTO ELAM IN CA. 1123 BC
• HE DEFEATED THE ELAMITE ARMY IN THE FIELD.
• FORCED THE ELAMITES TO RETURN IDOLS OF
BABYLONIAN GODS WHICH WERE CARRIED OFF AS BOOTY,
BUT THE LAW CODE OF HAMMURABI WAS LEFT IN SUSA.
• ELAMITES LEFT BABYLON ALONE FOR MORE THAN A
CENTURY.
• BUT THE ELAMITES EVENTUALLY TOOK OVER BABYLON
AND RULED IT IN THE 10TH CENTURY BC
• ELAMITES BECAME ALLIES OF THE BABYLONIANS
AGAINST THE HATED ASSYRIANS.
ELAM AND THE ASSYRIANS
• KING MAR-BITI-APLA-USHUR (RULED 984-
979 BC) OF BABYLON WAS AN ELAMITE.
• ELAMITES JOINED THE BABYLONIANS
AGAINST THE ASSYRIAN KING SHAMSHI-
ADAD V (823-811 BC) AND WERE DEFEATED.
• ELAMITES WERE FREQUENTLY THE ALLIES
OF THE BABYLONIANS AGAINST THE
ASSYRIANS.
 ELAM AND THE ASSYRIANS
• IN THE 715 BC, THE ELAMITES WERE ALLIED WITH
MERODACH-BALADAN (CA. 720-710 BC) OF BABYLON
AGAINST THE ASSYRIANS.
• SARGON II IN 710 BC DEFEATED MERODACH-BALADAN
AND HIS ELAMITE ALLIES. MERODACH-BALADAN FLED
AND WAS REPLACED BY A NEW ASSYRIAN-APPOINTED
KING OF BABYLON.
• ELAMITES TRY AGAIN TO FIGHT ASSYRIANS AND LOOSE
AGAIN IN 708 BC.
• MERODACH-BALADAN BRIEFLY RETURNS AS KING OF
BABYLON IN CA. 700 BC—RULED LESS THAN ONE YEAR--
AND SENNACHERIB DEFEATED HIM AND CHASED HIM
BACK INTO THE SWAMPS IN SOUTHERN MESOPOTAMIA.
• SENNACHERIB APPOINTED ONE OF HIS OWN SONS AS
KING OF BABYLON.
MERODACH-BALADAN
ON A BOUNDARY
STONE
CA. 720 BC
 II KINGS 20:12-13
AT THAT TIME, MERODACH-BALADAN, SON OF
BALADAN, KING OF BABYLON SENT HEZEKIAH
LETTERS AND A GIFT, BECAUSE HE HAD HEARD OF
HEZEKIAH’S ILLNESS. HEZEKIAH RECEIVED HIS
MESSENGERS AND SHOWED THEM EVERYTHNG THAT
WAS IN HIS STOREHOUSES—THE SILVER, THE GOLD,
THE SPICES, THE FINE OIL—HIS ARMORY AND
EVERYTHING FOUND AMONG HIS TREASURES. THERE
WAS NOTHING IN HIS PALACE OR IN ALL OF HIS
KINGDOM THAT HEZEKIAH DID NOT SHOW THEM.
 WHY DID HEZEKIAH
SHOW THE
MESSEGENERS OF
MERODACH-BALADAN
EVERYTHING IN HIS
PALACE?
 II KINGS 20:16-18
THEN ISAIAH SAID TO HEZEKIAH, HEAR THE WORD
OF YAHWEH. THE TIME WILL CERTAINLY COME
WHEN EVERYTHING IN YOUR PALACE AND ALL THE
WEALTH WHICH YOUR ANCESTORS HAVE STORED
UP UNTIL THIS DAY WILL BE CARRIED OFF TO
BABYLON. NOTHING WILL BE LEFT, SAYS YAHWEH.
AND SOME OF YOUR DESCENDANTS, YOUR OWN
FLESH AND BLOOD, WILL BE DEPORTED TO
BABYLON AND WILL BECOME EUNUCHS IN THE
PALACE OF THE KING OF BABYLON.
 AS WILL BE SEEN IN A LATER
PRESENTATION, THE ASSYRIAN
KING SENNACHERIB LOST A
HUGE ARMY OF 185,000 MEN TO
THE BUBONIC PLAGUE IN CA.
701 BC. THIS APPEARS TO HAVE
ENCOURAGED THE ELAMITE
KING KALLUSHU TO ATTACK
INTO BABYLONIA IN 694 BC.
 ELAM AND THE ASSYRIANS
• IN 694 BC, THE ELAMITE KING KALLUSHU CONQUERED
BABYLON AND CAPTURED THE ASSYRIAN GOVERNOR OF
BABYLON WHO HAD BEEN APPOINTED BY SENNACHERIB.
• SENNACHERIB RETALIATED BY ATTACKING AND RAVAGING
ELAM IN 692 BC. KING KALLUSHU WAS ASSASSINATED.
• THE NEW ELAMITE KING KHUMMA-MENANU JOINED A
COALITION AGAINST ASSSYRIA. THE OTHER MEMBERS
WERE THE BABYLONIANS, ARAMEANS, CHALDEANS,
MEDES, AND PERSIANS.
• THE GREAT BATTLE OF HALULE WAS IN 691 BC. BOTH
SIDES CLAIMED THE VICTORY ON THEIR INSCRIPTIONS.
• HOWEVER, IT APPEARS THAT THE ASSYRIANS WON
BECAUSE SENNACHERIB ATTACKED AND TOTALLY
DESTROYED THE CITY OF BABYLON IN 689 BC.
 DANIEL 4:28-30
THIS IS WHAT HAPPENED TO KING
NEBUCHADNEZZAR. TWELVE MONTHS LATER,
AS THE KING WAS WALKING ON THE ROOF OF
HIS ROYAL PALACE IN BABYLON, HE SAID: “IS
THIS NOT THE GREAT CITY OF BABYLON
WHICH I HAVE BUILT BY MY MIGHTY POWER AS
MY ROYAL RESIDENCE AND IN ORDER TO
GLORIFY MY ROYAL MAJESTY?”
 ELAM AND THE ASSYRIANS
• IN 653 BC. THE ELAMITE KING TEMPTI-KHUMMA-IN-
SHUSHINAK FOOLISHLY ATTACKED INTO BABYLON
WHICH WAS UNDER ASSYRIAN CONTROL.
• THE ASSYRIAN KING ASHURBANIPAL (668-627 BC)
ATTACKED INTO ELAM AND CRUSHED THE ELAMITES AT
THE BATTLE OF THE ULAI RIVER IN 653 BC.
• ASHURBANIPAL KILLED THE ELAMITE KING AND
DESTROYED HIS ARMY. HE THEN ATTACKED AND
SACKED THE CITY OF SUSA.
• ASHURBANIPAL DEPORTED MANY ELAMITES AND
STATIONED ASSYRIAN TROOPS IN SUSA.
• THE ELAMITES NEVER RECOVERED FROM THIS DEFEAT.
THE ELAMITES AND THE PERSIANS
• THE ASSYRIAN KING ASHURBANIPAL CRUSHED THE ELAMITES AT THE BATTLE
OF THE ULAI RIVER IN 653 BC.
• WITH ELAM GREATLY WEAKENED, THE PERSIAN KING TEISPES CONQUERED
THE OLD ELAMITE AREA OF ANSHAN IN CA. 650 BC. CYRUS THE GREAT (559-
530 BC) AT FIRST CALLED HIMSELF THE “KING OF ANSHAN.”
• ELAMITES, PERSIANS, MEDES, PARTHIANS BECOME SUBJECT TO THE
ASSYRIANS.
• IN 612 BC KING BABYLONIAN KING NABOPOLASAR AND HIS SON
NEBUCHADNEZZAR II CONQUERED, LOOTED, AND TOTALLY DESTROYED
NINEVEH. THE MEDES AND SCYTHIANS WERE ALLLIES IN TAKING NINEVEH.
• THE NON-ANSHAN REMAINING PORTIONS OF ELAM BECAME A PROVINCE OF
BABYLON
• IN 540 BC THE PERSIAN KING CYRUS THE GREAT CONQUERED THE
REMAINING PORTIONS OF ELAM, AND MADE SUSA ONE OF HIS CAPITALS. IN
539 BC HE CAPTURED BABYLON.
 ELAMITE
GUARDS IN
PERSIAN ARMY.
BAKED CLAY
BRICK-TILES
FOUND AT
SUSA
 THE ELAMITES MERGED WITH
THE PERSIANS, ADOPTED THE
PERSIAN LANGUAGE AND
DISAPPEARED AS A DISTINCT
PEOPLE. BUT THEIR CAPITAL
CITY OF SUSA BECAME ONE OF
THE FOUR CAPITALS OF THE
PERSIAN EMPIRE
 EZEKIEL 32:24
ELAM IS THERE IN SHEOL / HELL WITH ALL
OF HER MULTITUDES ALL AROUND HER
GRAVE. ALL OF THEM SLAIN, FALLEN BY THE
SWORD. THEY HAVE GONE DOWN
UNCIRCUMCISED INTO THE LOWER PARTS OF
THE EARTH. THEY ONCE SPREAD TERROR IN
THE LAND OF THE LIVING, BUT NOW THEY
BEAR THEIR OWN SIN WITH THOSE WHO GO
DOWN INTO THE PIT (OF SHEOL/ HADES/
HELL).
 END OF
ELAM
PRESENTATION