"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.
Definition of Elam:
"a young man; a virgin; a secret"