The Entrance of the Persians into Anshan: The Examination of the Persians and Elamites Relationship before Rise of the Achaemenids

The Persians were once the Indo-Iranian ethnic tribes who entered Iran in second half of the second millennium and settled in the Southern and Eastern side of Zagrous mountains. After years of settlement in the Eastern border of Elam and by taking advantage of the political situation, they gradually entered Anshan. It seems that Assyrians frequently campaign against eastern neighbours including Medes, Persians in particular Elam in the eighth and early seventh century BC led to friendly relationship and political-military unity between Persians and Elamites. In other hands, the Assyrians frequently campaign against the Western border of Elam which caused the negligence of the Elamites toward their eastern border, Anshan where the Persians were present, provided opportunity for the Persians gradually to enter Anshan.In this article it has been tried, based on Old inscriptions and other sources from Mesopotamia, Elam, Ancient Persian and archaeological evidence, and by using historical research methods to examine the entrance of the Persians into Anshan and their relation with Elamites. In this paper it has also been shown that because of Assyrian pressure against Elamites territory, they tried to have friendly relationship with the Persians. The Assyrian pressure against the western border of Elam from early seventh century BC also caused the negligence of Elamites toward their eastern border and this provided opportunity for the Persian to enter Anshan smoothly and without any resistance, and even after this important evidence this friendly relationship between Elamite and the Persians continued to the end of the Elamite rule in the Southwestern Iran.