Civilization proto-élamite

The civilization proto-élamite owes its name with the fact that it extended from approximately 3300 with 2800 av. J. - C. on a zone recovering the Élam historical periods. Its center is around the site of Such-I Malyan, the antique Anshan.

This civilization produced an original culture, taking again the assets of the former cultures of the Iranian Plate, with influences Mésopotamie. It in particular developed a form of writing not deciphered up to now, the Proto-élamite.

Archeological sites

Such Malyan

This site corresponds to the city known under the name of Anshan at the time history. It is the vastest site for this period in the current province of the Fars, considered until now as the hearth of civilization proto-élamite. This period is known in the area of Anshan under the name of period Banesh (3400-2800).

The site is enceint by a wall which protects a surface from 200 ha, which was not entirely inhabited (the diggers evaluated that 130 ha were built). The principal building of this period seems to be of administrative type, and delivered fragments of shelves proto-élamites. Its walls were covered with painting of colors white, black, gray and red, taking again geometrical reasons (triangles, forms of steps, rivet washers).

Suse

The site of Suse and its area experienced an important development former to the phase proto-élamite, when they were attached culturally to low Mésopotamie. The end of the Period of Uruk towards 3200/3100 sees Susiane knowing one period of depopulation, followed by a slow recovery towards the beginning of the 3rd millenium, and the city knows an extension of its surface built towards the principal east of the Tel. The mésopotamienne influence replaces the proto-élamite influence. It is this site which delivered the greatest number of shelves proto-élamites, and of objets d'art of this period, which corresponds to the level Suse III. The animalist topics are very present in the glyptique one, the sculpture, and the metallurgy.

Jiroft

The recent discovery of important sites in the area of Jiroft, initially Konar Sandal, in the east of the area of Anshan, is likely to modify what one thought of civilization proto-élamite until now. With the recent discovery of a brick registered in a writing close to the proto-élamite under the high terrace of Konar Sandal, it appears that the area of Jiroft could belong to the same unit as civilization proto-élamite, and perhaps even it is about the center this one, which would explain the relative poverty of the discoveries made for the phase proto-élamite of Anshan, considered until now as the principal site of this civilization, compared to the importance of the networks establish by the proto-élamites on all the Iranian plate.

The expansion proto-élamite

Out of its center, civilization proto-élamite had a notable influence. It is connected with that which the carriers of the civilization of Uruk at the previous period could have, but it concentrated specifically on the Iranian plate. It is measured primarily with discovered shelves proto-élamites on various sites of the areas close, which are, except the sites to the area of Jiroft (Konar Sandal and Tepe Yahya): Shahdad in the Kerman, Tepe Sialk (close to Kashan) and Tepe Ozbaki (close to Teheran) towards north, Shahr-i Sokhteh in the Sistan, and perhaps with Godin Tepe (close to Hamadan).

The nature of the expansion proto-élamite on the Iranian plate is discussed, as for that of Urukéens. One is unaware of if the proto-élamites establishments found out of the hearth of this civilization are counters or colonies. The political organization of the proto-élamite unit escapes to us.

The Iranian plate of this period sees being formed a kind of koinè : all the various cultures which emergent maintain the bonds between them, and the reciprocal influences are strong. The proto-élamite influence appears to be strong towards the sites of the North-West of current Iran (Tepe Sialk, Godin Tepe).

Art

Art proto-élamite is characterized by the importance of the animalist reasons. If the style approaches the previous periods, the animals replace the human being in the daily activities, and the mythological figures are animal. This appears in all the artistic fields, in particular in the glyptique one (with also a predilection for the vegetable landscapes), and also in the statuary. It before all the site of Suse which delivered the greatest number of borrows Sceaux-cylindres and statuettes proto-élamites, is carried out on a metal or stone support. The animals represented are often the cat-like ones (the topic of the lion carrying a mountain is very present in the glyptique one), and also of the ibexes, the bulls and also of wild boars.

The ceramics of Suse III is generally coarse, but there exist some types of painted potteries, taking again geometrical, or animalist reasons. The pottery of the level Banesh d' Anshan is of the same style.

Writing

detailed Article: Proto-élamite

The writing proto-élamite is of type Pictographique, it remains linear. The found examples seem intended exclusively for the administrative use. One thus finds signs and figures (with a system which had as a base ten, and which was thus decimal, unlike the system mésopotamien, before very sexagesimal), being used to inventory the goods, certain signs are probably names. This writing resisted any attempt at clearing, of many signs being mysterious. The pictograms are strongly stylized, which makes them unrecognizable. One cannot thus clearly identify in the writing proto-élamite part of the body, an animal, or an object, contrary to the writing sumérienne.

This writing, if it were diffused to the borders of the Iranian Plate, did not survive its instigators. Perhaps it disappeared with them, but reappeared with the 22e century in the form known as of élamite linear during the reign of the king Puzur-Inshushinak, who would take again signs of the repertory proto-élamite, without one not knowing inscriptions ensuring the continuity of the one the other. But the bond between these two forms of writing is not established with certainty.

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