kingdom · Mesopotamia and Iran

Awan dynasty

2400 BCE – 2100 BCE (approx.) · capital Awan

The first known royal house of Elam, which fought and treated with the kings of Akkad and whose last king briefly ruled Susa and the Diyala region.

Origins

Awan was a highland district of western Iran, probably north of Susa near modern Dezful or in Luristan, whose exact site is unknown. An Elamite king list from Susa names twelve kings of Awan, and the Sumerian King List says kingship passed briefly to Awan, reflecting its power in the 24th century BCE.

Rule and society

Kings of Awan led a coalition of Elamite lands and resisted the Akkadian Empire: Sargon and Rimush record victories over Elam and its allies. Naram-Sin later concluded a treaty, written in Elamite, with a ruler of Awan, probably Hita. The gods Inshushinak and Humban were central to Elamite religion. The last king, Puzur-Inshushinak, built at Susa and left inscriptions in Akkadian and in Linear Elamite, a script largely deciphered only in 2020.

Decline and legacy

After Akkad's collapse Puzur-Inshushinak expanded as far as Eshnunna, but he was driven back by Ur-Nammu around 2100 BCE. The Neo-Sumerian Empire took Susa, and leadership in Elam passed to the Shimashki dynasty and the wider Elamite Confederation.

Connections (2)

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Cite this page
APA
The Epoch Institute. (2026). Awan dynasty. In The Epoch Institute States Register. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/awan-dynasty
MLA
“Awan dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register, The Epoch Institute, 2026, https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/awan-dynasty. Accessed .
Chicago
The Epoch Institute. “Awan dynasty.” The Epoch Institute States Register. 2026. https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/awan-dynasty.
Harvard
The Epoch Institute (2026) ‘Awan dynasty’, The Epoch Institute States Register. Available at: https://the-epoch-institute.org/state/awan-dynasty (Accessed: ).

Last reviewed October 2026Random state ↻