While these first two provinces of Susa and Parsa share an identity , the next province of Carmania is distinct in ethnic character, but maintains a mixed blend of both Elamites and Persian traits. By the Persian Achaemenid period the inhabitants of Carmania had been heavily Persianized.1 While still retaining a unique culture with distinct rites of passage, Persians and Elamites both moved into Carmania displacing the native ethnic stock.2 Northern Carmania was essentially a desert, occupied by the Sargartians - themselves an Iranian tribe, neighboring the Parthians, Medians, and Persians. However in the southern portion of Carmania along the Zagros, there appears to be a different group of inhabitants; called the Utians by Herodotus, speaking a language entirely different from Old Persian.3

While absent from most other sources, Herodotus describes them as sharing a province with the Sagartians, and other Iranic people around the reign of Darius the Great.4 The only extant evidence directly for this group comes from Darius’s famed Behistun Inscription - one of the most important keys to deciphering cuneiform - where the text says “A man named Vahyazdāta, residing in a city called Tārvā in a region named Yautiyā in Persia, rose up for a second time in Persia. He told the people: “I am Bardiya, the son of Cyrus.” After that, the Persian army at the palace, which had previously come from Anshan, disobeyed me and turned to Vahyazdāta. He became king in Persia.”5 Seemingly an imposter to the Persian throne claiming himself as Bardiya rose up in a region called Yautiya, strikingly similar to Utiya, in the “Southern Persis” making this geographic designation obviously identical.6

The Behistun Inscription is important for another major reason: it is the Rosetta stone of cuneiform. Much in the way the Rosetta stone unlocked hieroglyphics, the Behistun decipherment revolutionized what we knew about Old Persian, Elamite, and Babylonian.7 Thus, the region of Utia contains the key to understanding the Elamite language, but also Old Persian, making this an obvious transitional border between the Persians and Elamites. The ‘Utians’ were probably interrelated to both of these groups.

According to some scholars, the Utians were identical with the Uxii.8 The Uxii were non-Iranian, and thus not Persian, but lived along the Zagros mountains in a semi-nomadic tribal confederation. This would presumably mean the Utians were closer to Elamite in character than Persians, especially in earlier periods before Persian ascendancy spread both Persian language and culture. Reported by Alexander’s naval commander Nearchus, the Uxii were one of four ‘predatory’ people in the south along with the Mardi, Sousii, and Elymaei.9 The identity of the Mardi is unclear, and they appear to speak a Persianized language, dwelling between Susa and Persis.10 Some believe this group was originally Scythian, related to the Dahae and Sacae.11 They probably moved into Carmania in later times during the Scythian migrations. The other two people are a bit more interesting and relevant for our purpose.

The Elymaei are obviously Elamites, while the Sousii are obviously the Susanites - both an Elamite people group. Interestingly, the name Sousii was sometimes referred to by the name “Cissia” (in red on the map) in certain Greek sources such as Herodotus, which may retain a link to the Kassites of earlier periods - potentially also settled originally in the Zagros mountains. Given the direct link between these two groups and Elam, it is likely the Uxii were a further eastern settled group with a similar culture to the Elamites.12

Exactly who these people were is uncertain, but it is clear that a blurred distinction between Elamites and Persians extended all the way from Mesopotamia, through the Carmanian region. Carmania was merely a later Persian name, but in the Elamite period of history between 3200–1100 BCE they referred to this land as “Marḫaši 𒈥𒄩𒅆𒆠”.