Hamidreza Peighambari; Leila Makvandi
Abstract
The Early history of the Persian Gulf is focused on the substantial political and economic role of Mesopotamia and its relations with Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (Oman) and Meluhha (Indus ...
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The Early history of the Persian Gulf is focused on the substantial political and economic role of Mesopotamia and its relations with Dilmun (Bahrain), Magan (Oman) and Meluhha (Indus valley). Therefore, the role of Elamites and the other people from Northern coasts of the Persian Gulf has remained obscure and unclear. One of the unanswered questions is about the maritime activities of these people. The present article is an attempt to answer this question, and in order to determine the role of the “Elamite Confederation” in Persian Gulf trade, it emphasizes on the necessity of revising the common understanding through the use of historical analysis and archaeological data. This research indicates that Mesopotamian sources reflect only a part of the history of “Lower Sea” (Persian Gulf), which mainly refers to their commerce with the southern coasts. But the scattered information about the eastern places in the same sources and the archaeological data based on the analysis of minerals and objects made of semi-precious stones such as lapis lazuli and Chlorite, indicate the importance of those lands. The waterway for exchange of these resources and commodities, which passed through Susa and the coasts of Fars (Anshan), especially Liyan (Bushehr), like the land routes, were influenced by the political rivalries and enmity of Elamites and Mesopotamians, but was very prosperous in periods. Those periods are historically consistent with the Sukkalmah and Shutrukid dynasties, in which Elamite relationship extended to Bahrain and Oman as well. Thus, in spite of strong political and economic relations between Mesopotamia and southern coasts of “Lower Sea”, power dynamics in the region frequently changed in favor of Elamites and with this knowledge, we can now say that the gainful Sea trade has not been in the hands of Mesopotamia, as Mesopotamian sources inculcate
