Bible Dictionaries
Shushan

Holman Bible Dictionary

(sshyoo' sshan) Persian place name transcribed in Hebrew with word borrowed from Egyptian meaning, “lily” or “lotus.” City in southwestern Iran which served as the ancient capital of the nation Elam. The site was inhabited as early as 3000 BC. It was located on the caravan routes between Arabia and points north and west, and therefore it became a very rich city. Archaeological evidence indicates that Shushan traded heavily with nations in Mesopotamia. In Esther 1:2 , the city is identified as the throne city of Ahasuerus and called Susa by modern translations. The Achaemenean Dynasty between 500,300 B.C. took Shushan to its height politically and economically. It served as the king's winter residence; they moved to Ecbatana in summer. During periods of Seleucid and Parthian rule, it declined and finally was destroyed in the fourth century A.D. See Elam; Persia .