Abstract

In treating the religion and ritual of “the Elamite world”, one must bear in mind that Elam evolved throughout its three thousand or so years of existence under numerous rulers and dynasties who inhabited a common territory combining highland and lowland geographical environments. As a result, the character of Elamite religion was highly dynamic. The present general survey commences with the 3rd millennium BC, when textual documentation first becomes available with the records of the Akkadian kings and the Awanite king Puzur-Inshushinak, and is brought to a close with the emergence of the Achaemenid empire. Despite the scope of reigns and epochs covered here, and the corresponding diversity of “religions” and divinities, it is evident that on the whole Elamite religious beliefs and practices display an unexpected continuity throughout the millennia.