The Introduction of Cotton into The Near East: A View from Elam

In 1982 an elite burial was discovered in Arjan, near modern Behbahan. The presence inside the bronze coffin of cotton textiles and gold bracteates suggesting the use of garments dated to the waning years of the Elamite Empire. The main purpose of this study is to examine the implications of this discovery for the history of garments and, most particularly, to offer a new historical understanding regarding the origins of cotton and its introduction into the Near East.