Susa, the winter royal residence of the Persian Empire

TRAVEL: Susa: a gateway to must-see destinations (Tehran Times).

TEHRAN – In southwest Iran is situated Susa, a captivating UNESCO-listed archaeological site occupying the whole southern flank of modern Shush. Originally similar in scale to the UNESCO-designated Persepolis, the city saw countless invasions and sackings during its history which spans almost 6000 years.

Furthermore, Susa was once the winter residence of Persian kings after having been captured by Cyrus the Great. Susa became part of the Persian Empire under Cyrus II, the Great in 538 or 539 BC.

Various archaeological seasons in Susa have yielded ample relics including pottery, arms, ornamental objects, metalwork, bronze articles, as well as clay tablets. ...

HT Todd Bolen at the Bible Places Blog.

This article has good coverage of the history, biblical connections, and archaeology of Susa.

I was surprised to see how many PaleoJudaica posts there are on Susa. See here, here, here, here, here, here, here, and here.

While we are on Iranian archaeology, for more on the Persian ceremonial capital Persepolis, see here and many links. For more on the Median capital Ecbatana, which also served as the Persian summer royal residence and archive, see here.

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