Elamite Art Through the Lens of Archaeological Evidence

About

Event is in Persian.

Professor Bahram Ghadiri examines Elamite art as a major body of archaeological evidence for understanding the cultural, political, and religious development of southwestern Iran and the broader Iranian Plateau. Rather than approaching Elamite art primarily as a collection of isolated aesthetic objects, the presentation situates artistic production within its historical, geographical, and social contexts.

The lecture begins with an overview of the emergence of Elamite political formations and their changing territorial extent from the late fourth millennium to the first millennium BCE. It considers the relationships among important centers such as Susa, Anshan, Haft Tappeh, Chogha Zanbil, and the highland regions associated with Elamite cultural traditions.

The second section addresses the principal methodological challenges involved in interpreting Elamite art. Particular attention is given to archaeological context, chronology, iconography, inscriptions, patterns of cultural exchange, and the limitations created by incomplete or displaced evidence. The lecture also considers how earlier scholarly frameworks have influenced modern interpretations of Elamite artistic identity.

The final section examines selected examples of monumental architecture, rock reliefs, seals, sculpture, metalwork, ceramics, and representations of music and ritual. These materials illuminate concepts of kingship, religious practice, social organization, collective memory, and interaction with Mesopotamia and neighboring regions.

By integrating artistic analysis with archaeological evidence, the lecture presents Elamite civilization as a dynamic and internally diverse cultural tradition. It further explores Elam’s significant contribution to the long-term cultural development of ancient Iran while avoiding the projection of modern national identities onto ancient societies.

Bahram Ghadiri was born in 1949 in Tehran, Iran. He graduated from Tehran University, where he studied under noted philosophers on Islamic and Persian art and architecture such as Titus Burkhardt, Henry Corbin and Hossein Nasr. His interest in the traditional art and architecture led him to engage in practical learning with master-masons and artists. At the age of 28 he became the Director of Niyavaran National Cultural Center, one of the most prestigious centers for art and architecture in Iran. Among his many projects in Iran are the restoration and revitalization of Akhavan Sigari Mansion (Yazd), Tajrish Municipal Libraries (Tehran), Main Entrance Gate to Bazaar Shishegar Khaneh (Tabriz), Seyed Aladin Hossein Mausoleum (a village near Hamadan), Miandasht Caravansary Complex (Miandasht on Silkroad), Dar Al-fonun School (Tehran), and Khan Bathhouse (Yazd Bazaar). In 2001, the Khan Bathhouse was the winner of the Aga Khan Foundation Award for Architecture prize. As a professor of Historic Preservation in the School of Architecture & Urban Planning, Shahid Beheshti University from 1986 to 2003, Professor Ghadiri led 16 years of research on Persian bazaars, a first of its kind in the nation, involving over 800 graduate students. The result was a complete survey of the physical and non-physical elements, and developing a methodology for study of bazaars and their causes of decay. He also served as visiting professor at the School of Architecture & Urban Planning at Yazd University and Isfahan University (1995-2001). Professor Ghadiri is the author of four books, 30 articles and over a half a dozen academic handouts on topics of conservation and preservation of Iranian historical building, city fabric, and bazaars. He is also the founder and president of Foundation for Persian Archaeological Studies.