Amongst the civilizations to participate in the dynamic processes of contact and interchange that gave rise to complex societies in the ancient Near East, Elam has remained one of the most obscure, at times languishing in the background of scholarly inquiry. In recent years, however, an increasing body of academic publications have acknowledged its relevance and suggested that its legacy was more considerable and long-lasting than previously estimated.
The Elamite World assembles a group of 40 international scholars to contribute their expertise to the production of a solid, lavishly illustrated, English language treatment of Elamite civilization. It covers topics such as its physical setting, historical development, languages and people, material culture, art, science, religion and society, as well as the legacy of Elam in the Persian empire and its presence in the modern world.
This comprehensive and ambitious survey seeks for Elam, hardly a household name, a noteworthy place in our shared cultural heritage. It will be both a valuable introductory text for a general audience and a definitive reference source for students and academics.
Javier Álvarez-Mon, a native of Spain, holds degrees in ancient Near Eastern art and archaeology from the École du Louvre (Paris) and the University of California at Berkeley, respectively. A 2003 Fullbright-Hays Fellow, he is presently Associate Professor in Near Eastern Archaeology and Art at Macquarie University (Australia) and 2014–18 Future Fellow (Australian Research Council). His primary research interests are the ancient Iranian civilizations of Elam and early Achaemenid Persia. He has two forthcoming books, Monumental Reliefs of the Elamite Highlands and The Art and Culture of Elam.
Gian Pietro Basello (PhD in the Ancient Near East 2005) is Tenured Lecturer (2018–) at "L’Orientale" University of Naples, Italy, where he has been teachin Elamite language since 2010. He has worked since 2003 on the Iranian–Italian joint Project DARIOSH (Digital Achaemenid Royal Inscription Open Schema Hypertext). His researches are also devoted to ancient calendars and systems for recording time. His website is www.elamit.net.
Yasmina Wicks completed her PhD entitled "'Alas, Short is the Joy of Life!': Elamite Funerary Practice in the First Half of the First Millennium BCE" at the University of Sydney, Australia, where she remains a research affiliate. She has authored a monograph, Bronze ‘Bathtub’ Coffins in the Context of 8th-6th Century BC Babylonian, Assyrian and Elamite Funerary Practices (2015), and several articles on the material culture of first millennium Elam.
