Neo-Elamite Period, Silver fibula brooch pair, Babylonia, Elam, 1000 BC-539 BC; The Neo-Elamite period (for the first use of this term in a linguistic sense, see Hüsing 1898: 1, 1908b: 3, 7) is dated from c. 1000 BC until the conquest of Babylonia in 539 BC by Cyrus the Great. Circa 700 B.C. A group of two arm-and-hand brooches each with ribbed collars to the shank and the catchplate formed as a stylised hand. 20.4 grams total, 33-34 mm (1 1/4 in.). I would imagine this item was used as a garment accessory, perhaps similar to Anglo-Saxon brooches designed to secure clothing. From the collection of a London antiquarian, formed since the 1980s. Historical references: Elam (/ˈiːləm/)[a] was an ancient civilization centered in the far west and southwest of modern-day Iran, stretching from the lowlands of what is now Khuzestan and Ilam Province as well as a small part of southern Iraq. The modern name Elam stems from the Sumerian transliteration elam(a), along with the later Akkadian elamtu, and the Elamite haltamti. Elamite states were among the leading political forces of the Ancient Near East.[3] In classical literature, Elam was also known as Susiana (US: /ˌsuːʒiˈænə/ UK: /ˌsuːziˈɑːnə/; Ancient Greek: Σουσιανή Sousiānḗ), a name derived from its capital Susa.[4] Elam was part of the early urbanization of the Near East during the Chalcolithic period (Copper Age). The emergence of written records from around 3000 BC also parallels Sumerian history, where slightly earlier records have been found.[5][6] In the Old Elamite period (Middle Bronze Age), Elam consisted of kingdoms on the Iranian plateau, centered in Anshan, and from the mid-2nd millennium BC, it was centered in Susa in the Khuzestan lowlands.[7] Its culture played a crucial role during the Persian Achaemenid dynasty that succeeded Elam, when the Elamite language remained among those in official use. Elamite is generally considered a language isolate unrelated to any other languages. According to Daniel T. Potts, Walther Hinz was less cautious in suggesting that the Elamites were ‘Proto-Lurs’ — that is, ancestors of the inhabitants of modern-day Lurestan in western Iran.[8]