The Proto-Elamite period is the time of ca.

3200 BCE to 2700 BCE when Susa, the later capital of the Elamites, begins to receive influence from the cultures of the Iranian plateau.

In archaeological terms this corresponds to the late Banesh period.

This civilization is recognized as the oldest in Iran and is largely contemporary with its neighbor, Sumerian civilization, the oldest in the world, which began around 3400 BCE.The Proto-Elamite script is an Early Bronze Age writing system briefly in use for the ancient Elamite language before the introduction of Elamite Cuneiform.