1This sweeping and visually luxuriant volume on the art of Elam, some two decades in the making, leads the reader along a trail of Elamite artistic production, departing from the late Neolithic period and crossing the Chalcolithic, Bronze and Iron Ages, to arrive at the gateway to the Persian empire. Through close attention to context and meaning, the author breathes new life into a vast swathe of Elamite artefacts variously displayed and stored in museums around the world and still standing in situ, painting a vivid picture of the rich and varied cultural life of both the lowland and highland Elamite communities. The discussion is supported by around one and a half thousand colour photographs and a wealth of line drawings and digital reconstructions. 

2Its expansive section on the later centuries of Elam, Part IV. Between Golden Age and Empire (ca. 1050-525 BC) (pp. 363-498, pls. 145-220), is almost a volume in itself, concentrating on the production of rock reliefs in the Elamite open-air highland sanctuaries, the vibrant industry of siliceous materials serving both architectural and artistic demands at the lowland Elamite capital of Susa, and the innovative metalwork attested by the rich funerary assemblages of the Arjan and Jubaji tombs in the Zagros foothills. It demonstrates above all the technical know-how and creativity of the artisans of the last centuries of Elam, setting the background for the artistic production of the Persian empire. 

3The significance of this first thorough English-language volume on Elamite art giving due treatment to the miniature, the monumental, and everything in between is best-expressed by the eminent archaeologist of Elam, D.T. Potts: with his deep knowledge, judicious commentary, and extraordinary graphics revealing the art of Elam in a way never before seen, the author has “put every student of the ancient Near East, and indeed of ancient art, in his debt”.