elam

2 definitions found

elam - WordNet (r) 2.1 (2005) :

  Elam
      n 1: an ancient country in southwestern Asia to the east of the
           Tigris River (in what is modern Iran); was known for its
           warlike people [syn: Elam, Susiana]

elam - Easton's 1897 Bible Dictionary :

  Elam
  highland, the son of Shem (Gen. 10:22), and the name of the
  country inhabited by his descendants (14:1, 9; Isa. 11:11; 21:2,
  etc.) lying to the east of Babylonia, and extending to the shore
  of the Mediterranean, a distance in a direct line of about 1,000
  miles. The name Elam is an Assyrian word meaning "high."
  
    "The inhabitants of Elam, or 'the Highlands,' to the east of
  Babylon, were called Elamites. They were divided into several
  branches, speaking different dialects of the same agglutinative
  language. The race to which they belonged was brachycephalic, or
  short-headed, like the pre-Semitic Sumerians of Babylonia.
  
    "The earliest Elamite kingdom seems to have been that of
  Anzan, the exact site of which is uncertain; but in the time of
  Abraham, Shushan or Susa appears to have already become the
  capital of the country. Babylonia was frequently invaded by the
  Elamite kings, who at times asserted their supremacy over it (as
  in the case of Chedorlaomer, the Kudur-Lagamar, or 'servant of
  the goddess Lagamar,' of the cuneiform texts).
  
    "The later Assyrian monarchs made several campaigns against
  Elam, and finally Assur-bani-pal (about B.C. 650) succeeded in
  conquering the country, which was ravaged with fire and sword.
  On the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Elam passed into the hands
  of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce).
  
    This country was called by the Greeks Cissia or Susiana.