Elam /ˈiləm/



 Elam
      n : an ancient country in southwestern Asia east of the Tigris
          River (in what is modern Iran); was known for its warlike
          people [syn: Susiana]


 Elam
    highland, the son of Shem (Gen. 10:22), and the name of the
    country inhabited by his descendants (14:1, 9; Isa. 11:11; 21:2,
    etc.) lying to the east of Babylonia, and extending to the shore
    of the Mediterranean, a distance in a direct line of about 1,000
    miles. The name Elam is an Assyrian word meaning "high."

      "The inhabitants of Elam, or 'the Highlands,' to the east of
    Babylon, were called Elamites. They were divided into several
    branches, speaking different dialects of the same agglutinative
    language. The race to which they belonged was brachycephalic, or
    short-headed, like the pre-Semitic Sumerians of Babylonia.

      "The earliest Elamite kingdom seems to have been that of
    Anzan, the exact site of which is uncertain; but in the time of
    Abraham, Shushan or Susa appears to have already become the
    capital of the country. Babylonia was frequently invaded by the
    Elamite kings, who at times asserted their supremacy over it (as
    in the case of Chedorlaomer, the Kudur-Lagamar, or 'servant of
    the goddess Lagamar,' of the cuneiform texts).

      "The later Assyrian monarchs made several campaigns against
    Elam, and finally Assur-bani-pal (about B.C. 650) succeeded in
    conquering the country, which was ravaged with fire and sword.
    On the fall of the Assyrian Empire, Elam passed into the hands
    of the Persians" (A.H. Sayce).

      This country was called by the Greeks Cissia or Susiana.



 Elam, a young man; a virgin; a secret