Choghā Zanbīl

archaeological site, Iran
Also known as: Choga Zambil, Tchoghā Zanbīl
Also spelled:
Tchoghā Zanbīl or Choga Zambil
Related Topics:
archaeology
temple
palace
ziggurat
cylinder seal

Choghā Zanbīl, ruined palace and temple complex of the ancient Elamite city of Dur Untashi (Dur Untash), near Susa in the Khūzestān region of southwestern Iran. The complex consists of a magnificent ziggurat (the largest structure of its kind in Iran), temples, and three palaces. The site was added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List in 1979.

Built about 1250 bce under the direction of the Elamite ruler Untash-Gal during the Middle Elamite period (c. 1500–c. 1000 bce), the complex was dedicated to Inshushinak (Insusinak), the bull-god of Susa. Its irregularly shaped outer wall extends approximately 3,900 by 2,600 feet (1,200 by 800 metres) around the inner sanctum and 13 temple buildings, of which only four are well conserved. The square base of the ziggurat, 344 feet (105 metres) on each side, was built principally of brick and cement. It now stands 80 feet (24 metres) high, less than half its estimated original height. Its ornate facade was once covered in glazed blue and green terra-cotta, and its interior was decorated in glass and ivory mosaics. At the apex of the building stood a temple from which Inshushinak was believed to ascend to the heavens every night. The complex was still unfinished, however (as evidenced by thousands of stacked bricks at the site), by about 640 bce, when Choghā Zanbīl was attacked, looted, and heavily damaged by the forces of the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal. Afterward it fell into ruin.

Choghā Zanbīl is a local name meaning “large basket-shaped hill.” It was sighted in 1935 by prospectors of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company who were surveying the region by airplane. Initial studies were performed by French archaeologists in the late 1930s. From 1946 to 1962, excavations were carried out by the archaeologist Roman Ghirshman. Several bull sculptures of Inshushinak were found within the complex, which served the royal families of Elam as a place both of worship and of interment. In addition, a variety of small artifacts were recovered, including a collection of Middle Elamite cylinder seals. A building on the grounds contains five vaulted underground tombs, within four of which are cremated remains, and there is one uncremated corpse. The Elamites traditionally buried their dead, and the reason for the cremation is unknown.

Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
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Heavy rainfalls have a harmful effect on the mud-brick outer walls and temples of the complex, despite the application of protective coverings. In the mid-1990s, it was noted that the brick walls of the ziggurat had shifted slightly, raising concerns about future structural damage.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia BritannicaThis article was most recently revised and updated by Teagan Wolter.
Elamite:
Haltamti or Hatamti
Akkadian:
Elamtu
Also called:
Susiana

Elam, ancient country in southwestern Iran approximately equivalent to the modern region of Khūzestān. Four prominent geographic names within Elam are mentioned in ancient sources: Awan, Anshan, Simash, and Susa. Susa was Elam’s capital, and in classical sources the name of the country is sometimes Susiana.

Throughout the late prehistoric periods, Elam was closely tied culturally to Mesopotamia. Later, perhaps because of domination by the Akkadian dynasty (c. 2334–c. 2154 bce), Elamites adopted the Sumero-Akkadian cuneiform script. Eventually Elam came under the control first of the Guti, a mountain people of the area, and then of the 3rd dynasty of Ur. As the power of Ur in turn declined, the Elamites reasserted their independence.

In that turbulent period Elam’s unique system of matrilinear succession emerged; sovereignty was hereditary through women, in that a new ruler was always “son of a sister” of some member of an older sovereign’s family.

Marble bust of Alexander the Great, in the British Museum, London, England. Hellenistic Greek, 2nd-1st century BC. Said to be from Alexandria, Egypt. Height: 37 cm.
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About 1600 bce new invaders of Mesopotamia, the Kassites, may have caused the fall of both Babylonia and Elam. Thereafter almost nothing is known of Elam until the latter part of the 13th century bce, when it began reemerging as a substantial international power. The Elamite kings Shutruk-Nahhunte and Kutir-Nahhunte invaded Mesopotamia and succeeded in securing a large number of ancient monuments (such as the Victory Stele of Naram-Sin and the stele bearing the law code of Hammurabi). Shilkhak-In-Shushinak campaigned vigorously, and for at least a short period his domain included most of Mesopotamia east of the Tigris River and reached eastward almost to Persepolis. This greatest period of Elamite conquest ended when Nebuchadrezzar I of Babylon (reigned c. 1119–c. 1098 bce) captured Susa. For almost 300 years thereafter nothing is known of Elamite history. In 640 bce, however, the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal invaded Elam, sacked Susa, and deported some of the leading citizens to Samaria in Palestine. Later Elam formed a satrapy of the Persian Achaemenian dynasty, and Susa became one of the three most important cities of the Persian realm.

Elam’s cultural accomplishments do not appear to have been extensive. Written business and governmental documents are limited in scope. Still less is known of Elamite religious beliefs because no epic or religious materials in the Elamite language have been discovered. The language itself is not clearly understood and has no known ancient relatives and no modern descendants. Elam’s art and architecture clearly derived much of their inspiration from Babylonia. The palace and temple complex of Choghā Zanbīl, with its impressive ziggurat, provides excellent examples of Elamite culture.

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica This article was most recently revised and updated by Adam Zeidan.