Space and rite in Elymais: Considerations on Elymaean religious Architecture and rock reliefs during the Arsacid Period.

Abstract

Central to this thesis is the identification of religious architecture in a region which has a special position in Ancient Iran, the mountainous area of Khuzestan known to classical sources under the name Elymais. This area can be considered Iranian only due to its geographical position, since its population was not of Iranian origin. A more direct approach to the study of Elymaean archaeology concerns not just the Susiana plain – which shows a strong Greek and Semitic influence – but also the sites with major rock reliefs (Tang-e Sarvak, Shimbar, Izeh-Malamir), as well as the religious architecture of Bard-e Neshandeh and Masjed-e Soleyman. This study will try to prove, working from religious architecture in Elymais of the Arsacid era, that there were hereditary ties (historical, archaeological, philological) between the Elymaeans and the Elamites, the ancient inhabitants of these territories (Ancient Elam). Given the strong relationship between Elam and neighbouring Mesopotamia, the possible presence of Mesopotamian or other foreign influences in the religious architecture and consequently the use of these types in an Elymaean context can be examined in detail. A review will be made of previously accepted hypotheses of Elymais and its population. The cultural-historical and religious interactions that occurred in this area will be examined in an attempt to establish a nexus of identity for the people of Elymais. This work aims to bring together, perhaps for the first time, diverse studies concerning Elymais: archaeological, historical, philological, numismatic and religious. This key goal will be pursued to provide a platform for their analysis as a corpus. To achieve this, details of archaeological and historical contexts including locations, excavation reports, grave goods, descriptions of monuments and observations regarding rock reliefs have been collected from a number of available sources, many of them in the form of short articles.