oi.uchicago.edu HISTORY OF EARLY IRAN oi.uchicago.edu THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, CHICAGO THE BAKER & TAYLOR COMPANY, NEW YORK; THE CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS, LONDON; THE MARUZEN-KABUSHIKI-KAISHA, TOKYO, OSAKA, KYOTO, FUKUOKA, SENDAI; THE COMMERCIAL PRESS, LIMITED, SHANGHAI oi.uchicago.edu HISTORY OF EARLY IRAN BY GEORGE G. CAMERON INSTRUCTOR IN ORIENTAL LANGUAGES THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO DIR3C7 'V CI LIBRARY • ORIEF; IlioTi i'UTE UNIVElioITY CF CHICAGO THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS CHICAGO • ILLINOIS oi.uchicago.edu COPYRIGHT I936 BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. PUBLISHED MARCH I936 COMPO8ED AND PRINTED BY THE UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO PRESS, CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, U.S.A. oi.uchicago.edu TO MY WIFE oi.uchicago.edu oi.uchicago.edu PREFACE ISTORIES of Iran regularly begin with Cyrus the Persian and generally conclude H with Alexander the Great. At present there is no single work which describes in a comprehensive fashion the history of the Iranian plateau before Cyrus attained mastery. This is the more regrettable since the history of a section of the plateau, Elam, cannot be neglected by any serious student of the ancient Near East. The present study endeavors to present the facts about early Elamite and Iranian history in a manner which will be at the same time useful to the scholar and intelligible to the layman. Some years ago the writer became interested in the origin and history of the Iranian Medes. After a brief period of research it became obvious that the empire of the Medes fitted into a wider historical perspective than hitherto assumed, and that Median as well as Persian origins could not be disassociated from the history of the Iranian plateau before Iranians ap­ peared on the scene. The attempt to unravel the mystery of that broader history led naturally to an examination of the languages which were first, to our knowledge, spoken in that land. Since the Old Persian kings had composed their inscriptions in three vii oi.uchicago.edu viii PREFACE languages—Old Persian, Babylonian, and Elamite— the first step was the preparation of a concordance of Old Persian words. Through an intimate knowledge of this language and by a comparison with the Ak­ kadian, late Elamite could be made intelligible. Next followed the compilation of an Elamite dictionary which included every published text. Finally, the pertinent data from the Land of the Two Rivers were scrutinized for information, previously overlooked or disregarded, which might illuminate the picture. The writer cannot claim full satisfaction with the results obtained. Until recent years there have been few excavations in Iran, and the scarcity of archeo- logical investigations has greatly hampered historical understanding. The researches undertaken in the tell of Susa in Elam have been remarkably productive, and there is little question but that other and even more attractive sites on the plateau will add ma­ terially to our knowledge. Until archeology has as­ sumed a larger share of the burden, much of the his­ tory of greater Iran must lie buried in the tells and ruined city-mounds which dot the country. It is, however, safe to say that future investigations will and must be fitted into the historical picture to the degree that they tie their results into the history of Elam. The chronology of Elamite history is now, we may assume, assured within close limits, and will pro­ vide a solid foundation for all subsequent history of the plateau, until the first millennium B.C. oi.uchicago.edu PREFACE IX This work in its inception was inspired by Profes­ sor Albert Ten Eyck Olmstead, Oriental Institute Professor of Oriental History in the University of Chicago. From what seemed at times an inex­ haustible store of knowledge, he has often pieced together the scattered threads of historical data into a perfect whole. From his unrivaled ability to see each isolated fact in its relationship to the entire pic­ ture he has given to this study a perspective it could never otherwise have achieved. From his unpub­ lished notes and manuscripts, and, more than these, from his discussions, criticisms, and suggestions at every stage of the progress, I have obtained more than words can say. From him I have secured encourage­ ment in hours of perplexity; his aid, given unstinting- ly, has enormously lightened my labors. Professor Arno Poebel and Professor F. W. Geers have often confided to me, as student and friend, their opinions on historical questions and their im­ proved translations of historical documents. Profes­ sor Geers and Dr. I. J. Gelb have done me the great service of reading the manuscript and offering their suggestions. The unwavering enthusiasm and vitality of Professor M. Sprengling have often heartened me in moments of despair. Other members of the Orien­ tal Institute staff and of the Department of Oriental Languages and Literatures have been no less kind. To the Oriental Institute and its director, Professor James H. Breasted, as well as to the University of oi.uchicago.edu X PREFACE Chicago Press, I owe my thanks for making possible the adequate publication of results. Dr. T. G. Allen, associate editor of the Institute's publications, has my sincere thanks for his careful editing. Beyond all these is the contribution acknowledged by the dedica­ tion. GEORGE G. CAMERON UNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO OCTOBER I, 1935 oi.uchicago.edu TABLE OF CONTENTS PAGE ABBREVIATIONS XIII CHAPTER I. THE LAND AND ITS PEOPLE I II. HISTORICAL BEGINNINGS 22 III. BABYLONIAN DYNASTS AND KINGS OF SIMASH 43 IV. DIVINE MESSENGERS OF ELAM, SIMASH, AND SUSA . 67 V. THE KASSITE INTERLUDE 89 VI. KINGS OF ANZAN AND SUSA 96 VII. THE GLORY OF AN ELAMITE EMPIRE 113 VIII. INDO-IRANIANS IN THE ZAGROS MOUNTAINS . 138 IX. A NEW ELAMITE KINGDOM 156 X. MEDIAN AND PERSIAN CHIEFTAINS 170 XI. THE ECLIPSE OF ELAM 185 XII. MEDES AND PERSIANS 212 TABLES 228 INDEX 233 MAP at end xi oi.uchicago.edu oi.uchicago.edu ABBREVIATIONS AJSL American Journal of Semitic Languages and Literatures (Chicago, etc., 1884 ). AMI Archaologische Mitteilungen aus Iran (Ber­ lin, 1929 ). AOF Archiv fur Orientforschung. Band III (Berlin, 1926 ). BA Beitrage zur Assyriologie und semitischen Sprachwissenschaft (Leipzig, 1890 ). Barton, RISA BARTON, G. A. The Royal Inscriptions of Sumer and Akkad (New Haven, Conn., 1929). BE Pennsylvania. University. The Babylonian Expedition. Ser. A: Cuneiform Texts. Ser. D: Researches and Treatises. Ed. by H. V. HILPRECHT (Philadelphia, 1893 )• CT Cuneiform Texts from Babylonian Tablets, etc., in the British Museum (London, 1896 ). Harper, ABL HARPER, ROBERT FRANCIS. Assyrian and Babylonian Letters Belonging to the Kouyunjik Collections of the British Mu­ seum (14 vols.; London, 1892-1914). Hiising, Quellen HUSING, GEORG. Die einheimischen Quellen zur Geschichte Elams. 1. Teil. Altelam- ische Texte (Leipzig, 1916). oi.uchicago.edu xiv ABBREVIATIONS JAOS American Oriental Society. Journal (Boston, etc., 1849 )• JRAS Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, London. Journal (London, 1834 )• KB Keilinschriftliche Bibliothek, hrsg. von EBER- HARD SCHRADER (6 vols.; Berlin, 1889— 1915). Klauber, Texte Politisch-religiose Texte aus der Sargo- nidenzeit, hrsg. von E. G. KLAUBER (Leip­ zig, I9I3)- Knudtzon, Gebete Assyrische Gebete an den Sonnengott fur Staat und konigliches Haus aus der Zeit Asarhaddons und Asurbanipals, hrsg. von J. A. KNUDTZON (Leipzig, 1893). Konig, Alteste KONIG, F. W. Alteste Geschichte der Meder Geschichte und Perser (Der Alte Orient, Band XXXIII, Heft 3/4 [Leipzig, 1934]). Konig, Geschichte KONIG, F. W. Geschichte Elams (Der Alte Elams Orient, Band XXIX, Heft 4 [Leipzig, I931!)- LAR LUCKENBILL, D. D. Ancient Records of As­ syria and Babylonia (2 vols.; Chicago, 1926-27). MAOG Altorientalische Gesellschaft, Berlin. Mit- teilungen (Leipzig, 1925 ). MSm. France. D616gation en Perse. M6moires. Tome I-XIII (Paris, 1900-1912). France. Mission arch6ologique de Susiane. M6moires. Tome XIV (Paris, 1913). France. Mission arch£ologique de Perse, Publications. Tome XV (Paris, 1914)- oi.uchicago.edu ABBREVIATIONS xv France. Mission archeologique de Perse. Memoires. TomeXVI-XXV (Paris, 1921- 34). MVAG Vorderasiatisch-aegyptische Gesellschaft, Berlin. Mitteilungen (Berlin, 1896-1908; Leipzig, 1909 ). OIC Chicago. University. The Oriental Institute. Oriental Institute Communications (Chi­ cago, 1922 ). OIP Chicago. University. The Oriental Institute. Oriental Institute Publications (Chicago, 1924 ). OLZ Orientalistische Literaturzeitung (Berlin, 1898-1908; Leipzig, 1909 ). PBS Pennsylvania. University. University Mu­ seum. Publications of the Babylonian Sec­ tion (Philadelphia, 1911 ). Piepkorn, Ashur- PIEPKORN, A. C. Historical Prism Inscrip- bantpal, I tions of Ashurbanipal. I (Chicago. Uni­ versity. The Oriental Institute. Assyrio- logical Studies, No. 5 [Chicago, 1933]). Prasek, Geschichte PRASEK, J. V. Geschichte der Meder und Perser (2 vols.; Gotha, 1906-10). PSBA Society of Biblical Archaeology, London. Proceedings (London, 1879-1918). RA Revue d'assyriologie et d'archeologie orien- tale (Paris, 1884 ). RT Recueil de travaux relatifs a la philologie et a Tarcheologie egyptiennes et assyriennes (40 vols.; Paris, 1870-1923). oi.uchicago.edu xvi ABBREVIATIONS SAK THUREAU-DANGIN, FR. Die sumerischen und akkadischen Konigsinschriften (Vorder- asiatische Bibliothek, i. Stuck [Leipzig, 1907]). SAOC Chicago. University. The Oriental Insti­ tute. Studies in Ancient Oriental Civiliza­ tion (Chicago, 1931 ). Waterman, RCAE WATERMAN, LEROY. Royal Correspondence of the Assyrian