From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anshan (Persia)
Anshan (Persia)
Coordinates: 30°00′42″N 52°24′28″E / 30.01167°N struggle to maintain control over Anshan, ultimately re-
52.40778°E / 30.01167; 52.40778 sulting in the Elamite sack of Ur in 2004 BC, at which time
the statue of Nanna, and Ibbi-Sin himself, were captured
and removed to Anshan.[3] In the Old Babylonian period,
king Gungunum of Larsa dated his 5th regnal year after
the destruction of Anshan.
From the 15th century BC, Elamite rulers at Susa be-
gan using the title "King of Anshan and Susa" (in Akkadi-
an texts, the toponyms are reversed, as "King of Susa and
Anshan"),[4] and it seems probable that Anshan and Susa
were in fact unified for much of the "Middle Elamite pe-
riod". The last king to claim this title was Shutruk-Nah-
hunte II (ca. 717-699 BC).[5]
Cradle of Achaemenid Persia
Anshan fell under Persian Achaemenid rule in the 7th
century BC, having been captured by Teispes (675–640
Location of Anshan within the Elamite empire. The approxi-
mate Bronze Age extension of the Persian Gulf is shown. BC), who styled himself "King of the city of Anshan". For
another century during the period of Elamite decline,
Anshan was a minor kingdom, until the Achaemenids in
Anshan (Persian: انشانAnšan, modern Tall-i Malyan
Malyan,
the 6th century BC embarked on a series of conquests
northwest of Shiraz, in the Beyza / Ramjerd plain , in the
from Anshan, which became the nucleus of the Persian
province of Fars in the Zagros mountains , southwestern
Empire. The most famous conqueror who rose from An-
Iran, was one of the early capitals of Elam, from the 3rd
shan was Cyrus the Great.
millennium BC.
History Archaeology
The site of Anshan covers around 200 hectares. The main
Before 1973, when it was identified as Tall-i Malyan,[1]
feature is a low flat-topped mound of about 130 hectares
Anshan had been assumed by scholars to be somewhere
running 4–6 meters in height. On three sides are the re-
in the central Zagros mountain range.[2]
mains of a city wall 5 kilometers in length dating from
The Elamite city appears to have been quite ancient;
the Late Banesh and Kaftari periods. Finds at Tall-i
it makes an appearance in the early Sumerian epic En-
Malyan included primarily Proto-Elamite and Middle
merkar and the Lord of Aratta as being en route between
Elamite cuneiform tablets, seals, and a pottery sequence
Uruk and the legendary Aratta, supposedly around the
important to dating the chronology of the region. The
time writing was developed. At various times, Anshan
most notable find was a building brick of Elamite king
provided, in its own right, the source for a number of
Hatelutus-Insusinak which confirmed that the site was
Elamite dynasties that sometimes competed for extent
indeed Anshan.
and influence with other prominent Elamite cities.
The site was first worked by Ferydoun Tavalloli of the
Manishtushu claimed to have subjugated Anshan, but
Archaeological Service of Iran in 1961. No records or pub-
as the Akkadian empire weakened under his successors,
lications of that effort appear to exist, though some ar-
the native governor of Susa, Kutik-Inshushinak, a scion
tifacts ended up in the Persepolis Museum. Scientific ex-
of the Awan dynasty, proclaimed his independence from
cavation began in 1971 with a team, led by William Sum-
Akkad and captured Anshan (some scholars have spec-
ner, from the University of Pennsylvania and Ohio State
ulated that the name Awan is an alternate form of An-
University after a survey in 1968.[6][7][8][9] The dig con-
shan). Following this, Gudea of Lagash claimed to have
tinued for several seasons until 1978, when the Iranian
subjugated Anshan, and the Neo-Sumerian rulers Shulgi
Revolution intervened. Most recently, Tal-i Malyan was
and Shu-Sin of Ur are said to have maintained their own
excavated by Kamyar Abdi in 1999.[10] A further 6 week
governors over the place. However their successor, Ibbi-
Sin, seems to have spent his reign engaged in a losing
1
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Anshan (Persia)
dig was conducted in 2004 by the Cultural Heritage Orga-
nization of Iran and Dartmouth College.[11]
References
• Ilene M. Nicholas, The Proto-Elamite Settlement at
Tuv, Malyan Excavation Reports Volume 1,
Notes University of Pennsylvania Museum Publication,
[1] Reiner, Erica (1973) "The Location of Anšan", Revue 1991, ISBN 0934718865
d’Assyriologie 67, pp. 57-62 (cited in Majidzadeh • Elizabeth Carter and Ken Deaver, Excavations at
(1976), Hansman (1985)) Anshan (Tal-E Malyan): The Middle Elamite Period,
[2] e.g. Gordon (1967) p. 72 note 9. Kermanshah; Malyan Excavation Reports Volume 2, University of
Mallowan (1969) p. 256. Bakhtiari territory (cited in Pennsylvania Museum Publication, 1996, ISBN
Mallowan (1985) p. 401, note 1) 0924171227
[3] Cambridge History of Iran p. 26-27 • William M. Sumner, Malyan Excavation Reports III:
[4] Birth of the Persian Empire Early Urban Life in the Land of Anshan, Excavations
[5] Cambridge History of Iran at Tal-e Malyan in the Highlands of IranUniversity of
[6] William Sumner, Excavations at Tall-i Malyan Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and
1971-72, Iran, vol. 12, pp. 155-180, 1974 Anthropology, Monograph 117, 2003, ISBN
[7] William Sumner, Excavations at Tall-i Malyan 1974, 9781931707459
Iran, vol. 14, pp. 103-115, 1976 • The Archaeology of Elam: Formation and Transformation
[8] John R. Alden and Jack Martin Balcer, Excavations of an Ancient Iranian State by D. T. Potts, Cambridge
at Tal-i Malyan 1974, Iran, vol. 16, pp. 79-92, 1978 University Press, 1999, ISBN 0521564964
[9] William Sumner,The Proto-Elamite City Wall at • Matthew W. Stolper, Texts from Tall-i Malyan Vol. 1:
Tal-i Malyan, Iran, vol. 23, pp. 153-161, 1985 Elamite Administrative Texts (1972–74), University
[10] Kamyar Abdi, Malyan 1999, Iran, vol. 39, pp. 73-98, of Pennsylvania Museum Publication, 1984, ISBN
2001 093471861X
[11] John R. Alden et al., Fars Archaeology Project 2004: • William M. Sumner, Tall-i-Malyan and the
Excavations at Tal-e Malyan, Iran, vol. 43, pp. Chronology of the Kur River Basin, American Journal
39-47, 2005 of Archaeology, vol. 77, no. 3, pp. 288–290, 1973
See also External links
• Cities of the Ancient Near East • "Anshan", Encyclopædia Iranica
• Short chronology timeline • Digital Images of Tall-i Malyan tablets at CDLI
• History of Iran • Year Names of Shulgi at CDLI (note years 30, 34, 35
• Cyrus the Great and 36)
• List of kings of Persia • Year Names of Gungunum at CDLI
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Anshan_(Persia)&oldid=468151597"
Categories:
• Elamite cities
• Former populated places in Iran
• Fars Province
• Archaeological sites in Iran
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