Excavations in the ancient Elamite heartland of Khuzestan, Iran, have uncovered a specialized administrative scriptorium dating to the Middle Elamite period. The building served as a centralized archive for the military, yielding over 400 cuneiform tablets that specifically detail the manufacture and distribution of bronze scale armor. These records offer a rare look into the logistics and industrial capacity of ancient Near Eastern armies.
The tablets record the names of individual blacksmiths and the weight of metal assigned for the creation of lamellar breastplates and helmets. Archaeologists also discovered several original bronze scales and casting molds within the scriptorium, confirming that the site was both an administrative and a quality-control center. The discovery provides a vital link in understanding how ancient states managed their strategic resources during periods of regional conflict.