Grand Regent (note 10). The Elamite priests were honored by great and humble alike, and followed their armies into battle. Elamite Kings often married their own sisters, and that must have brought weakness into the line. For as long as Sumerians and Babylonians recorded their history, various kings of Elam have gone mad --- raging, and staggering and foaming at the mouth. The Elamite Kingship went from the King to his next brother, and so on down the line, before coming back and reverting to the first King's son. The King's son was usually the minor king or regent, appointed to rule Susa.

Elamite Historical Periods

Astute readers will notice that there are gaps of several hundred years between these periods, and they seem to be dark ages, or times of confusion. So for example, around 1,595 B.C. Kassite invaders from the North overran the kingdom of Babylonia in Southern Mesopotamia. But cuneiform texts continue to mention the Elamite rulers until the final quarter of the sixteenth century B.C. We do not know whether these later Elam kings were subject to the Kassites or even if the Kassites eventually overran them. Whatever happened, after about 1,520 B.C. the Elamite record goes dark for over 200 years (note 11).

Then the Elamite dynasty reappears just suddenly on the scene during the last half of the fourteenth century B.C. where Attat-kittash (r. 1,310-1,300 B.C.) is the earliest known ruler of this new line, and he assumes the old title King of Anzan and Susa. So there is still lots that we need to know, and waiting to discover out there (we hope).