Elam was an ancient Pre-
Iranic civilization centered in the far west and southwest of what is now modern-day
Iran, stretching from the lowlands of what is now
Khuzestan and
Ilam Province as well as a small part of southern
Iraq. The modern name
Elam stems from the
Sumerian transliteration
elam(a), along with the later
Akkadian elamtu, and the
Elamite haltamti. Elamite states were among the leading political forces of the
Ancient Near East. In
classical literature, Elam was more often referred to as
Susiana a name derived from its capital,
Susa. However, Susiana is not synonymous with Elam and, in its early history, was a distinctly separate cultural and political entity.
