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I found this study, conducted by Iranian scientists. On the maternal side the examined Elamites had haplogroups which one can also find among people in Pakistan and India
quote:Abstract Archaeogenetics, a nascent and emerging science, is based on a combination of biology and genetics which has a high potential in discovering the untold facts about livelihood and culture of ancient times, such as modern human origins and diets evolutionary trend. This area of biology, also focus on migration and geographical distribution of humans and genetic variation in ancient DNA samples around the world in comparison to modern humans. Highly polymorphic DNA regions like STR found on the male-specific Y chromosome in nucleus and mitochondrial (mt) DNA are used in archaeogenetics to study genetic variation within a target population. mtDNA D-loop region is very polymorphic that consists of two hyper variable regions including HVI and HVII with a large variety in different human populations. Analysis on these regions of mtDNA using ancient excavated human bones will lead to determine the genetic composition of human mtDNA known as haplogroups. mtDNA can be used to identify the ancient ethnic groups, trace descendants of ancestors and their migration trails.This is achieved by comparing mtDNA haplogroups between different ethnic groups all over the world.In this study, we have performed analysis using ancient DNA extracted from 5 excavated human bones. Ancient human bones were obtained from Haft-Tepe. We performed PCR amplifications for HVI and HVII regions of the mtDNA followed by sequencing with ABI. Then comparisons The Cambridge Reference Sequence and the sequences obtained in the current study were done at NCBI site. Hoplogroup residents were R2 and R5. By tracking haplogroups from indo-Iranian , we can conclude that these haplogroups dated to 5000 B.P in Iran, and possibly originated in southwestern Iran and from the Elamite civilization.
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^ Not surprising. It reminds me of the findings on the ancient genomes of Bahrain. Many people forget that Southwest Asia has a significant genetic influence from India and one can argue that a large percentage of the human ancestry in the region (both maternal and paternal) are rooted in India.
paternal F-M89
maternal M
The Elamites by the way had a matrilineal culture and their language is an isolate unrelated to any other known language family.
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The small amount of Harappan aDNA we have suggests varying degrees of intermixture between inhabitants of the Iranian plateau on the one hand and indigenous South Asians on the other, so this intermixing being bidirectional makes sense. Pity the OP abstract doesn’t mention autosomal results though.
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^ Bidirectional indeed. Remember that Harappan people, particularly men, possess significant Iranian Neolithic ancestry indicating immigrants from the Iranian plateau that intermixed with local hunter-gatherers.
This decorative frieze of polychrome glazed brick shows an army, the men carrying spears, bows and quivers. Are they the royal guards of Darius I (522–486 BC), whom Herodotus called “the Immortals,” or might they represent an idealized image of the Persian people? The frieze is probably inspired by the brick friezes of Babylon, although the technique is different. That may be a legacy from the Middle Elamite Period, which saw the appearance of decoration in glazed siliceous brick.
Archers on parade The Frieze of Archers had two symmetrical lines of soldiers, parading at a slow march. Each archer’s hands are joined together on the shaft of his spear, and hanging from his shoulders is a bow, its ends in the form of duck’s heads, and a quiver. The butt of the spear, held vertical, rests on the front foot, shod like the other in a laced ankle-boot. The archers wear the long Persian robe, braided and pleated over the legs, the outline of whose ample sleeve describes a curve towards the belted waist. They are bearded, and their thick curly hair is massed at the nape of the neck, held back by a diadem of beaten metal. Each brick is molded from a quart-based body; its outer face is rectangular, but the brick tapers towards the back, a little like a quoin, so as to leave room for mortar when the decorated faces are butted up against each other. The frieze combines low relief and color, with glazes of green, brown, white and yellow separated by fine cloisons of siliceous body.
An inheritance from the Elamite period? This decorative frieze was certainly inspired by the Processional Way in Babylon, constructed by Nebuchadnezar II (604–562 BC), but the technique is different. The Babylonians used clay for their bricks, rather than the siliceous material employed here. The artists who worked for Darius may have revived a technique developed at Susa by the Elamites in the Late Elamite Period at the end of the second millennium. Polychrome brick decoration in Iran would have a great future in the architecture of the Islamic age.
from the Palace of Darius I in Susa. Dated around 510 BC, Frieze of the Archers
Some researchers think that the archers in the Frieze of the archers are Persians. Others think they are Elamites due to the fact they have headbands and the relief carvings at Persepolis show Persians with headgear above but not headbands
from the Palace of Darius I in Susa. Dated around 510 BC, The figure is a guardian angel called a “lamassu,” __________________________________________
However at this website look at the headgear and the identification
Persian Soliders (photo above is two rows photos combined for their website image, either they are both assumed Persian warriors or top one unidentified) (note twisted headbands) http://kiwioutthere.com/?p=930
.
Elamites (with lions)
Indians
However I have read that ethnic groups listed at Persepolis are not labeled so that researches have to guess at who's who
I think I had also read some researchers thinking the Frieze of the Archers, the archers have an Elamite bow
Elamites (incl 2 figures with arrow quivers) bas-relief from the palace of Ashurbanipal illustrating the Assyrian campaign against the kingdom of Elam (645 BC).
this is from North of Bagdad in Iraq 645 BC clearly from the context of the full scenes they are Elamites
and the other images at Perepolis in Iran 510 BC where who is Elamite is less clear
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I admit to not knowing for sure whether those dark-skinned archers are actually Elamites, but I doubt ethnic Persians were ever as dark as them. Aren't the Persians thought to have descended from Central Asian IE speakers who settled on the Iranian plateau? Not that I would call them "white" necessarily, but they probably were lighter than the indigenous groups they encountered after settling in Iran.
Also, if Elamite is considered a language isolate now, does that make it no longer related to Dravidian languages in South Asia?
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^ Correct. The Persians and their Medes predecessors were Indo-European speakers from the northwest, and interestingly the Greeks described them as being "white" and fairer than them. The Greeks who had the habit of exercising naked outdoors and thus tanned bodies would contrast themselves with the fair skinned Persians who covered and veiled themselves from the sun "like women". Greek records also described gray eyed Persians with blonde or red hair occurring amongst them. Of course there is no doubt that these IE speakers intermarried and mixed with the indigenous populations, which is why I have read of Elamites in later times with lighter even "yellowish" complexions who were also called "dark Persians".
As for language, the Elamite is very much documented and known in contrast to Harappan, and according to linguists it is not genetically related at all to Dravidian languages or any language group hence its isolated status. Of course scholars believe that Elamite may very well have belonged to a group once widespread over the Iranian plateu if not Mesopotamia but we will never know until more evidence is available.
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Elam is in many ways similar to Nubia being overshadowed by her neighbor Sumer the same way Nubia is overshadowed by Egypt. In fact most laypeople have not even heard of Elam, other than those familiar with biblical story of the War of the 9 Kings including the Elamite king Chedorlaomer.
Like Nubia, Elam was a region rich in mineral wealth, namely gold and silver as well as copper.
Like Nubia, Elam also had direct access to trade routes east of Sumer especially with the Indus Civilization.
Last but not least the Elamites had their own distinct civilization that was as advanced and at least as old as that of Sumer if not older including their own script-- Linear Elamite, before adopting Sumerian Cuneiform.
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One well known Linear-Elamite inscription is on a cup from the 3rd millennium BC
Silver cup (item Q) from Marvdasht, Fars, with Linear-Elamite inscription on it, from the 3rd millennium BCE and kept in the National Museum of Iran. According to Desset et al., the inscription reads "For the Lady of Marapsha (toponym), (named) Shumar-asu, I made this silver vase. In the Temple that will be known by my name, Humshat, I dedicated it with goodwill for you
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: Of course there is no doubt that these IE speakers intermarried and mixed with the indigenous populations, which is why I have read of Elamites in later times with lighter even "yellowish" complexions who were also called "dark Persians".
Do you remember where you read those accounts?
Also, do you think there could be a connection between the Elamites and the Ubaidians who who have lived in southern Mesopotamia before the Sumerians proper arrived? I will admit, I no longer see the Sumerians as being that dark, especially since I recently read that they painted themselves lighter brown than later inhabitants of Mesopotamia did:
quote:Skin appears to be orange, yellowish brown (see Figures 1, 6), red brown (see Figure 5) and brown in the third millennium. A general change to bright red (see Figure 7) and red brown (see Figure 2) took place in the second millennium. In the first millennium skin is rather dark, albeit not on all media.
But it could be that the Ubaidians who preceded the Sumerians were darker brown, more like the Elamites.
quote:Originally posted by BrandonP: Do you remember where you read those accounts?
Unfortunately no. It was an old book on ancient Iranian history I read in the university library, but I forgot the title.
quote:Also, do you think there could be a connection between the Elamites and the Ubaidians who who have lived in southern Mesopotamia before the Sumerians proper arrived? I will admit, I no longer see the Sumerians as being that dark, especially since I recently read that they painted themselves lighter brown than later inhabitants of Mesopotamia did:
quote:Skin appears to be orange, yellowish brown (see Figures 1, 6), red brown (see Figure 5) and brown in the third millennium. A general change to bright red (see Figure 7) and red brown (see Figure 2) took place in the second millennium. In the first millennium skin is rather dark, albeit not on all media.
But it could be that the Ubaidians who preceded the Sumerians were darker brown, more like the Elamites.
You bring up a very valid point. In regards to Sumerians, I have always suspected the Sumerians to have the same 'medium' hue or "brown" complexion of many non-black Indians and Iranians in contrast to the aboriginal Proto-Euphratean (Ubaidian) populations who were black and even had "australoid" features as discussed before . Is there a relation between the Ubaidians and Elamites? Interestingly the Elamites had different features from the Ubaidians having brachycephalic skulls with narrow features which were the opposite of the australoid Ubaidians.
quote:Originally posted by Archeopteryx: One well known Linear-Elamite inscription is on a cup from the 3rd millennium BC
Silver cup (item Q) from Marvdasht, Fars, with Linear-Elamite inscription on it, from the 3rd millennium BCE and kept in the National Museum of Iran. According to Desset et al., the inscription reads "For the Lady of Marapsha (toponym), (named) Shumar-asu, I made this silver vase. In the Temple that will be known by my name, Humshat, I dedicated it with goodwill for you
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: You bring up a very valid point. In regards to Sumerians, I have always suspected the Sumerians to have the same 'medium' hue or "brown" complexion of many non-black Indians and Iranians in contrast to the aboriginal Proto-Euphratean (Ubaidian) populations who were black and even had "australoid" features as discussed before . Is there a relation between the Ubaidians and Elamites? Interestingly the Elamites had different features from the Ubaidians having brachycephalic skulls with narrow features which were the opposite of the australoid Ubaidians.
Any anthropological reports out there on Elamite remains that we can check out?
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^ That's a great question. Unfortunately the only anthropological data I've found regarding things like cranial features came from those old university library books. Strangely I haven't found any such data on the internet yet. Most of the data on Elamites is on their culture. I don't know if lioness or someone else with access to a good database can look it up.
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^ A modern population of a country is not necessarily the same as the ancient populations of that country.
Egyptian National Soccer Team
Like ancient Egyptian artwork, ancient Iranian artwork portrays black skinned people who look different from the fair skinned folk you see in the modern media of these countries.
According to Greek legend per the Trojan War Cycle, Achilles' rival whom he overcame, was Memnon the Prince of Ethiopia who was also a demigod. As I've shown in the work of classicist Grace H. Beardsley here, the country of 'Ethiopia' during the time of Homer was a distant country that lay somewhere in the south. But in the case of Memnon it was also associated with the east with his divine mother being none other than the dawn goddess Eos. Thus, the Ethiopia of Memnon came to be identified with Susa/Elam. In fact the 2nd Century Greek geographer Pausanias wrote:
"Memnon was a king of the Ethiopian nation. He came to Troy, however, not from Merope (Meroë, capital of Nubia), but from Susa in Persia and from the river Choaspes, having subdued all the peoples that lived between these and Troy. The Phrygians still point out the road through which he led his army."
In regards to the archaeology of the region and its material culture, here is another excellent source from 2013: The Proto-Elamite Settlement and its Neighbors: Tepe Yahya Period IVC The site of Tepe Yahya in southeastern Iran is famous, among other important aspects, for the Proto-Elamite complex dated to around 3000 BC (Period IVC). The material culture of Period IVC is not exclusively limited to its Proto-Elamite component, but is also characterized by the presence of elements from other Middle Asian cultural ceramic traditions. In addition to a synthesis of the Proto-Elamite period and the material assemblage at Tepe Yahya, The Proto-Elamite Settlement and its Neighbors will provide an updated review and comprehensive discussion of the Proto-Elamite sphere, its relations to Mesopotamia, and its eastern Middle Asian neighbors. This innovative book will illustrate that the “multi-cultural” situation at Tepe Yahya Period IVC was present across many sites in Middle Asia and that, in addition to the Proto-Elamite sphere and the cities of Mesopotamia, Middle Asia around 3000 BC was incorporated within an interactive “multi-players” network of polities.
Basically the authors have identified Proto-Elamite Culture to have arisen in the Neolithic and developed in the Chalcolithic in a large area from southwest Iran to southwestern Pakistan which by Bronze Age times coalesced into three main states-- Elam proper, Anshan, and Marhashi.
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From Haft Tepe, the place mentioned in the article in the OP comes a fieldwork report about human remains:
quote:Among the funerary complexes identified at Haft Tepe the most important is the royal tomb of Tepti-ahar. During excavations at the site in 2012 the remains of more than 100 individuals were found in individual pit and pot graves as well as one mass burial, being located along the outer wall on the NE side of Complex C and dating to Phase 4 (c. 1400 BCE) when the city was abandoned (Figure 1). The human remains recovered from Haft Tepe are curated in a storage room at the Haft Tepe site museum.
Jafari, Farnaz Khatibi, 2018 "Human remains from Haft Tepe, Iran, 2012-2013." Bioarchaeology of the Near East, 12:55–60
Probably one can also find some articles and reports written in Farsi. Also German and French archaeologists have worked in Iran so some material in those languages can maybe also be found.
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^ I remember that discovery. At first I thought it was the site of mass sacrifice like the death pit in Ur, but it turned out to be a war massacre.
The king of the Elamite empire at the time, Tepti-ahar, is thought to have been the last in the ruling Kidinuid dynasty and the skeletons may have been victims of the unrest that followed his death as competing families fought for control.
Behzad Mofidi-Nasrabadi, an archaeologist from Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz in Germany who has been leading the excavation, said: 'Based on the number of skulls, we excavated 149 individuals.Posts: 26482 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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Has anybody read any recent info on the Y-chromosomal profile of the Elamites? The only thing I found from a quick search is this wiki page Considering their NRY variation, Elamites are distinguished from neighbouring Iranian peoples by their relatively elavated frequency of Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b, specifically subclade R1b1a2a-L23. Together with its other clades, the Haplogroup R1 group comprises the single most common haplogroup among the Elamites. Haplogroup J2a (subclades J2a3a-M47, J2a3b-M67, J2a3h-M530, more specifically) is he second most commonly occurring patrilineage in the Elamites and is associated with the diffusion of agriculturalists from the Neolithic Near East c. 8000-4000 BC. Another haplogroup reaching a frequency above 10% is that of G2a, with subclade G2a3b accounting for most of this. Also significant among the Elamites is haplogroup E1b1b1a1b, originating in the horn of Africa, and which the Elamites display the highest frequency of in the Iranian plateau and Mesopotamia region. Lineages Q1b1 and Q1a3 present at 6%, and Haplogroup T appears at a frequency of 4%.
But they don't cite the source of their results. I remember a paper ages ago about Elamites carrying Y haplogroup 9 which corresponds with J2 and we've discussed hg E1b1b specifically E-M34 which stretches into India as well as the ancient Bahraini samples showing hg H connected to South Asia as well.
The paper highlights mt haplogroups HV14 and U7a3a1a2 found in Dravidian speakers of southern India which tie to the Iranian Neolithic.
Some scholars try to use this genetic evidence to support the hypothesis of linguists like David McAlpin for an Elamo-Dravidian language family. However most linguists disagree with this construct which is as tenable as the 'Altaic family' that includes Korean and Japanese. While there is no doubt some similarities between Elamite and Dravidian, the differences between them are too stark for most linguist to agree on a close genetic relation.
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quote:In Sumerian texts we read about the country NIM, the wondrous mountain area which we call Iran today. The biblical name Elam can also be traced to the concept of a highland: Elamtu in the language of the Babylonians and Assyrians which referred to the east and northeast of Babylonia. Yet, the most important site of Elam, Susa, was situated in the plain, miles from the mountain ranges which form its hinterland.
As more becomes known about the archaeology and history of Western Asia, the importance of Susa in antiquity emerges more clearly. It was a center of trade and culture for ancient Iran and also for areas far beyond its borders. Relations between protohistoric seal impressions on tablets from Susa and works of predynastic Egyptian art have been repeatedly pointed out. It is not impossible that they reflect the influence of objects brought from Egypt directly or via trading posts in the Gulf. Susa must have also traded with regions far to the east as shown by the excavations at Tepe Yahya where C. C. LambergKarlovsky found tablets with impressions of Proto-Elamite cylinder seals which can be related closely to those known from Susa.
The fortunate geological situation of Susa which assured permanent fertility of the surrounding field was detailed by Robert McC. Adams. The certainty of an adequate food supply which resulted from such rich fields must have contributed to the uninterrupted settlement at Susa from the fourth millennium B.C. to the twelfth or thirteenth century A.D.
The period which is of particular interest here is the one of Elamite rule from the end of the third millennium B.C. to the destruction by Ashurbanipal’s army about 640 B.C. For the reconstruction of the history of this period G. G. Cameron’s History of Early Iran (Chicago, 1936) is still a basic work, more reliable than some of the more fanciful reconstructions of early Elamite history published in recent years...
Elam was a civilization that rivaled Sumer unfortunately it does not get the attention it deserves. This is partly due to most scholars not being as familiar with the Elamite language but another reason could be that the Elamites did not have as great a political influence in the region.
One reason for this was that the Elamites could never unite completely. The country of Elam proper was difficult enough with rivalry between the cities of Awan and Susa, but it was probably a miracle for the country of Anshan to join, but the country of Marhashi never joined. It was in the Middle Elamite period that Elam reached its zenith with the Elamite Empire when the Shutrukid dynasty conquered the lower Mesopotamian Valley.
quote:Under the Shutrukids (c. 1210 – 1100 BC), the Elamite empire reached the height of its power. Shutruk-Nakhkhunte and his three sons, Kutir-Nakhkhunte II, Shilhak-In-Shushinak, and Khutelutush-In-Shushinak were capable of frequent military campaigns into Kassite Babylonia (which was also being ravaged by the empire of Assyria during this period), and at the same time were exhibiting vigorous construction activity—building and restoring luxurious temples in Susa and across their Empire. Shutruk-Nakhkhunte raided Babylonia, carrying home to Susa trophies like the statues of Marduk and Manishtushu, the Manishtushu Obelisk, the Stele of Hammurabi and the stele of Naram-Sin. In 1158 BC, after much of Babylonia had been annexed by Ashur-Dan I of Assyria and Shutruk-Nakhkhunte, the Elamites defeated the Kassites permanently, killing the Kassite king of Babylon, Zababa-shuma-iddin, and replacing him with his eldest son, Kutir-Nakhkhunte, who held it no more than three years before being ejected by the native Akkadian-speaking Babylonians. The Elamites then briefly came into conflict with Assyria, managing to take the Assyrian city of Arrapha (modern Kirkuk) before being ultimately defeated and having a treaty forced upon them by Ashur-Dan I.
Kutir-Nakhkhunte's son Khutelutush-In-Shushinak was probably born of Kutir-Nakhkhunte and his own daughter, Nakhkhunte-utu. He was defeated by Nebuchadnezzar I of Babylon, who sacked Susa and returned the statue of Marduk, but who was then himself defeated by the Assyrian king Ashur-resh-ishi I. He fled to Anshan, but later returned to Susa, and his brother Shilhana-Hamru-Lagamar may have succeeded him as last king of the Shutrukid dynasty. Following Khutelutush-In-Shushinak, the power of the Elamite empire began to wane seriously, as after the death of this ruler, Elam disappears into obscurity for more than three centuries.
Since bible topics keep getting mentioned, one of the biggest mysteries of the bible concerns the event in Genesis known as the War of the Nine Kings which culminated in the Battle of Siddim. For those who aren't familiar with the story, the five Canaanite city-states of the Jordan Plain and their kings who are vassals of the Elamite Empire under King Chedorlaomer rebel. The patriarch Abraham and his nephew Lot side with their Canaanite hosts. In one battle Lot gets taken captive and in the sequential Battle of Siddim, Abraham and his force of 318 men rescues Lot while defeating Elamite foes. The problem is that the name Chedorlaomer is nowhere to be found in the historical records despite the name being Elamite. The names of Chedorlaomer's allies like Aramphel, Tidal, etc. are also in question.
quote:It’s one of the most fascinating and gripping stories in the book of Genesis. It’s also the earliest account of warfare in the Bible. In Genesis 14, four powerful eastern kings ally against an inferior force of five Levantine kings. The smaller city-states are easily defeated, and the people captured, including the nephew of Abram (later named Abraham).
What happens next is so astounding, most people reject the tale as fiction. The patriarch Abram rallies 318 of his servants and vanquishes the Mesopotamian juggernaut. The captives, including his relatives, are freed, and Abram returns to Canaan with tremendous fanfare.
Many scientists and academics question this story. Bible scholar Mary Jane Chaignot wrote that the story “is almost monotonous in its detail of names and places, none of which can be verified by outside biblical sources. That makes scholars nervous. … [I]t raises many unnerving questions about the historicity of the whole chapter. Like, maybe it really isn’t true, after all” (BibleWise; emphasis added throughout).
Prof. Ronald Hendel agrees: “The current consensus is that there is little or no historical memory of pre-Israelite events or circumstances in Genesis” (The Book of Genesis: Composition, Reception, and Interpretation).
These bold claims simply are not true. A broad body of evidence supports the history recorded throughout the book of Genesis, and specifically, the true “World War I” in Genesis 14.
You can read the rest, but the question remains when exactly did this event happen and who are the identities of the rulers??
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Much like Nubian archaeology, Elamite archaeology is only scratching the surface of that ancient culture since most of the records that have been deciphered are those of royal annals and messages, and there is still much we don't know yet especially until Linear Elamite is fully deciphered. But here is a good source to start-- The Material Culture of Early Iran
One issue of debate is Elamite kinship. It is commonly thought they were matrilineal due to many records showing kings succeeded by their sisters' sons. Yet records show that many of these sons were also that of the kings, and as I've shown in the Wiki entry above there is suggestion that a king may have had progeny by his daughter which is the same exact situation seen in Egyptian royal families which points out that there was an attempt to consolidate patrilineal lines with matrilineal ones. It all depends on definitions of kinship terms found in texts.
I remember reading a source years ago in which Sumerians stereotyped Elamite women as being industrious which remind me of this source--The Contribution of Women to Trade and Production in Elam Society Introduction 1Private archives of the Elamite kingdom provide us with crucial information regarding the roles that women played in Elamite society. The study of the status of women in the local economy can be evaluated according to criteria on the rights of women and their contributions to the domestic economy. The whole of Elamite documentation (economic contracts, accounting documents, etc.) is extremely informative on such issues as: women’s right to conduct transactions (loan, purchase contract, sale of property, etc.) and the maintenance of the female staff in producing various commodities.
The above paper points out the crucial role that women's labor had in the economy of Susa and thus overall commercial trade. It's likely this was the very tradition inherited by the Persians which was the impetus of the Persian Empire's success since not only the empire's economy but also the logistics and support system of the empire's military was staffed predominantly by women!
Many Elamite queens and other elite matrons are often depicted seated spinning yarn with a distaff.
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Today is Nowruz the Persian New Year's Day and it reminds me just how much did the Elamites have influence on Persian Culture.
https://www.worldhistory.org/article/1591/ten-ancient-elam-facts-you-need-to-know/ Preservation & Influence on Culture Through their interactions with Sumer, Elam absorbed – and then preserved – some of the Sumerians' most vital cultural aspects. Beginning in the Old Elamite Period, Elamite artisans began incorporating Sumerian motifs and techniques into their own work. Some of the best-known deities of the Sumerian pantheon were preserved by the Elamites and possibly aspects of their rituals, though this is speculative. The Elamites' own religious beliefs, deities, and rituals seem to have influenced the Early Iranian Religion of the region prior to the rise of Zoroastrianism which, of course, adopted a number of the early rituals to its own use. The concept of sacred spaces on high ground was an aspect of both the Early Iranian Religion and Zoroastrianism as were deities who personified cosmic or natural powers. In Zoroastrianism, these deities became aspects of the one god Ahura Mazda but, in the earlier polytheistic religion of the Iranians, they seem to have shared much in common with the Elamite deities as well as those of the Indus Valley. When Elam was absorbed into the Achaemenid Empire, their culture was adapted to Persian needs and values which would continue to develop from c. 550 BCE through 651 CE when the Persian Sassanian Empire fell to the Muslim Arabs. Afterwards, the Elamite-Persian culture would eventually be valued by the conquerors and disseminated throughout the Near East.
The Role of Elamite Gods in the Formation of the Divine Triad A survey and analysis of the ancient Iranian religion calls for a profound familiarity with the Elamite religion and its gods. Elamite beliefs played an important role in forming the Iranian religion between the 4th millennium BC and the advent of the Indo-Iranians on the Iranian plateau. In this paper, we examine the Elamite religious background and the major gods and goddesses that were worshipped in Elam. The central motif of the serpent in Elamite rites is also discussed. Pinikir, the goddess of heaven, corresponds to the Babylonian Ishtar. She was later replaced by the mother goddess Kiririsha. Humban and Hutran were worshipped in the 2nd millennium BC and Inshushinak, great god of Susiana, formed a divine triad with these two deities. This triad bears remarkable similarity to the Iranian godly triad of Hormazd-Mithra-Anahita, recorded in Later Avesta and Achaemenid inscriptions. The character of Inshushinak undoubtedly helped shape the Iranian figure of Mithra. Other Elamite religious influences include Kidenn or the divine Aura, which influenced the formation of the Iranian Xvarənah
Because of the Persian king's tolerance, Elamite and Babylonian gods received rations for offerings, too. However, they were venerated only by the Elamites. Therefore they were found mainly in the Elymais and in some isolated places in the Persian heartland. (We should bear in mind that Elamites lived all over the country.) The old Elamite god Khumban, who was responsible for the atmosphere and for storms, appeared side by side, or with the same amount of offerings, with the Babylonian weather-god Adad. In several places they were worshiped together. On some tablets it is stated that the offerings are destined "for the gods." In one case "the gods" are described as Khumban and Adad. Therefore one can perhaps assume that the scribes always thought of these two when they wrote "for the gods" in an Elamite context. Outside of the Elymaen region, Khumban was worshiped in some places in the Elamite-Persian border region, where he was the only Elamite god receiving sacrifices. He also was associated with just one village in the district southeast of Persepolis. In another place in the same district, the sole appearance of Adad outside of the Elymais is attested. Together with him is mentioned a god Napazapa, who is otherwise unknown but whose name sounds Elamite. Napirisha, the "Great God," rival of Khumban, was venerated in three places in the Elymais and in four places in the district southwest of Persepolis, which must have been an enclave of his worshipers. A number of other Elamite gods, who cannot be identified, also appeared in a handful of places. Some of them seem to have been responsible for abundance of water and fertility.
Of the highest importance for the Elamites in Achaemenid times must have been the special sacrifice called kusukum, in which rams were slaughtered. It may have had its origin in the old Elamite gusum, which was celebrated for the "Lady of the High City." As we have learned above, the most important element of this festival, too, was the sacrifice of rams. Yet here, we find a decisive difference. As a general rule, the Achaemenid administration never dispensed animals for offering purposes, only grain or flour, wine or beer, or fruits. However, the slaughter of the rams was obviously very important for the Elamites in celebrating their kusukum. Therefore in all known cases where victims were needed, the Elamite priests saved the grain that they had received from the state and bought rams with it. This practice clearly shows that the sacrifice of animals was not intended by the administration.
Outside the Elamites the kusukum is mentioned only once, and there the priest received nothing but wine.Posts: 26482 | From: Atlanta, Georgia, USA | Registered: Feb 2005
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quote: Today is Nowruz the Persian New Year's Day and it reminds me just how much did the Elamites have influence on Persian Culture.
Interesting finds. It makes me wonder about Harappan and other indigenous Indian influences on Hinduism as well, since it would have been a parallel situation with the Indo-"Aryans" settling in South Asia.
quote:Originally posted by Djehuti: [QB] Has anybody read any recent info on the Y-chromosomal profile of the Elamites? The only thing I found from a quick search is this wiki page Considering their NRY variation, Elamites are distinguished from neighbouring Iranian peoples by their relatively elavated frequency of Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b, specifically subclade R1b1a2a-L23. Together with its other clades, the Haplogroup R1 group comprises the single most common haplogroup among the Elamites. Haplogroup J2a (subclades J2a3a-M47, J2a3b-M67, J2a3h-M530, more specifically) is he second most commonly occurring patrilineage in the Elamites and is associated with the diffusion of agriculturalists from the Neolithic Near East c. 8000-4000 BC. Another haplogroup reaching a frequency above 10% is that of G2a, with subclade G2a3b accounting for most of this. Also significant among the Elamites is haplogroup E1b1b1a1b, originating in the horn of Africa, and which the Elamites display the highest frequency of in the Iranian plateau and Mesopotamia region. Lineages Q1b1 and Q1a3 present at 6%, and Haplogroup T appears at a frequency of 4%.
The source is not wikipedia It's IIWiki Modern and Future-Tech SimFic Encyclopedia
A wiki is a form of online hypertext publication that is collaboratively edited and managed by its own audience directly through a web browser. Thus there are many wikis that are not Wikipedia
quote:
IIWiki
IIWiki is an online, web-based, free encyclopedia for the creation and display of fictional content produced by members of NationStates, though is unaffiliated with NationStates. The focus of the wiki is on Simulated and Speculative Fictional content, including Alt History, Mythopoeia, Conlang, Geofiction, and other elements of Worldbuilding.
IIWiki seeks to create an in-character environment where users can create and share content and lore. We expect encyclopedic articles and worldbuilding according to the Wikipedia Manual of Style, which is to say neutral, professional, and focused.
They have this woman labeled as "An Elamite woman from Susa" on that IIWiki page under Elamites and it has spread round to other sites
when they say " Elamites are distinguished from neighbouring Iranian peoples by their relatively elavated frequency of Y-DNA Haplogroup R1b, specifically subclade R1b1a2a-L23." I think it is an interpretation of the following article:
quote:
Ancient Migratory Events in the Middle East: New Clues from the Y-Chromosome Variation of Modern Iranians Viola Grugni 2012
because they are mentioning some very specific Y clades (and in 2012 nomenclature)
However this article is of modern Iranians, they mention Elamites a couple of times speculatively, an Iranian group the Lurs of Lorestan could be their descendants (their DNA in the below chart under Lorestan)
Ancient Migratory Events in the Middle East: New Clues from the Y-Chromosome Variation of Modern Iranians Viola Grugni 2012
Lurs are one of the major Iranian ethnic groups inhabiting along the central and southern parts of the Zagros Mountains. Their origin might go back to the time before the migration of Indo-Europeans to Iran when other groups called Elamites and Kassites were living there [17]. The Kassites are said to be the native people of Lorestan and their language was neither Semitic nor Indo-European and differed from the Elamite. The modern Lurs, like the Kurds, are a mixture of these aboriginal groups and invading Indo-Iranians from which it is thought they separated. Until the 20th century, the majority of Lurs were nomadic herders. Recently, the vast majority of Lurs have settled in urban areas although a number of nomadic Lur tribes still persist.
The territories presently occupied by the Lurs have been inhabited by man for some 40,000 years (Hole 1978). Thus far, archaeological investigations in Luristan have unearthed tools and artifacts from the middle paleolithic, upper paleolithic, mesolithic and bronze age. However, the earliest known people to inhabit the territories presently occupied by the Lurs were the Elamites, who settled in the area as early as 3000 BC. Later, the Kassites, who are well known for their bronze artifacts, lived in Luristan as early as second millennium BC, while the Elamites continued to hold the rest of their territories. The Kassites formed a dynasty, conquered Babylonia in 1747 BC and dominated Mesopotamia for 576 years (Ghirshman 1978).
The Elamite and the Kassite dynasties were overtaken by the Indo-Iranians during the first millennium BC. Thus, the ancestors of the Lurs, as a segment of the Persian population, settled in their present territories and dominated the native inhabitants in the later part of the first millennium BC (Cameron 1936). Unfortunately, little information is available on the history of the Lurs during the Greek (331-192 BC), Parthian (129 BC-AD 226) and Sassanid (AD 226-641) periods.
During the Arab invasion of the seventh century, the Lurs, along with other Iranians, unsuccessfully fought against the Arabs. The Arabs' absolute domination of Iran, including Lur territory, lasted over two centuries. In the beginning of the ninth century, however, revolts took place in different parts of Iran and local dynasties were established in several areas of the country. One such local dynasty was that of the Buyids, who originated in northern Iran and conquered most areas of the country, including the Lur territory, in the tenth century. By the middle of the tenth century, the areas inhabited by the Lurs were collectively known as Luristan. Later on, Luristan was divided into two parts: Lur-i-kuchek (Luristan Minor) and Lur-i-bozorg (Luristan Major). The former corresponded to modern Luristan and Ilam provinces while the latter included modern Bakhtiari, Kuh-Gilu-Boir Ahmed and Mamasani.
In the eleventh century, Iran was invaded by the Seljuks, Turkish speaking pastoralists from central Asia. As a result, a group of Turkmans under the leadership of Sunqur settled in Kuh-Gilu of Lur-i-bozorg. The capital of Luri-i-kuchek was also invaded and ransacked by the Seljuk Turks in 1043.
In spite of all these invasions, the Lurs maintained their territorial integrity, absorbed the invaders, and eventually established two local dynasties known as Atabak during the twelfth century.
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^ Yes, it's been pretty much overstated by Iranians including Persians that the Luri people of Luristan as well as the Khuzi people of Khuzistan (excluding the Arab tribes) are the direct descendants of the Elamites but if you note one of the sources I cited shows the Elamite peoples to be spread out in the Plateau and that various Iranian people especially Persians themselves may have Elamite ancestry and not know it. See here.
quote:Originally posted by BrandonP: Interesting finds. It makes me wonder about Harappan and other indigenous Indian influences on Hinduism as well, since it would have been a parallel situation with the Indo-"Aryans" settling in South Asia.
That's the theory. The indigenous peoples were never wiped out completely only assimilated and absorbed into newer dominant cultures.
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Also, do we have phenotype data for the Iranian Neolithic and related populations that contributed ancestry to Harappans and modern South Indians? That ancestry appears to be a mix of Basal Eurasian and Ancient North Eurasian, and I assume the latter were a lot lighter-skinned than the former. However, we all know South Indians can get very dark despite the Iranian Neolithic-related ancestry they had, and I assume that was the case for Harappans too. So how dark would Neolithic Iranians have been, exactly?
EDIT: This is the best I could find, and it's only one sample.
quote:The phenotypic attributes of GD13a are similar to the neighboring Anatolian early farmers and Caucasus Hunter-Gatherers. Based on diagnostic SNPs, she had dark, black hair and brown eyes (see Supplementary). She lacked the derived variant (rs16891982) of the SLC45A2 gene associated with light skin pigmentation but likely had at least one copy of the derived SLC24A5 allele (rs1426654) associated with the same trait. The derived SLC24A5 variant has been found in both Neolithic farmer and Caucasus Hunter-Gatherer groups, suggesting that it was already at appreciable frequency before these populations diverged.
Again the question is a valid one considering there province of Persis was located.
I've already shown here the significant influence Elamites had on Persian culture and that the modern Zoroastrian religion holds Persis as the center of the priestly estate.
What's interesting is that I recall a study showing that Zoroastrians of the Magi (clerical) caste have the highest amounts of Iranian Neolithic ancestry and that the same is also true of India's Brahmin caste!
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