Inshushinak (Linear Elamite: Inšušnak, Cuneiform: , dinšušinakki; possibly from Sumerian en-šušin-a[k], "lord of Susa") was one of the major gods of the Elamites and the protector deity of Susa. He was called rišar napappair, "greatest of gods" in some inscriptions. Character and cult Inshushinak is attested for the first time in the treaty of Naram-sin, much like many other Elamite gods. He played an important role as a god connected to royal power in the official ideology of many Elamite dynasties. King Atta-Hushu of the Sukkalmah dynasty called himself "the shepherd of the god Inshushinak." Multiple rulers dedicated new construction projects to Inshushinak using the formula "for his (eg. the king's) life." Shutrukids commonly used the title "(king) whose kingdom Inshushinak loves." He was also a divine witness of contracts, similar to Mesopotamian Shamash. Sometimes he shared this role with both Shamash and the Elamite god Simut in documents from Susa. As a god of the afterlife Inshushinak was closely related to the afterlife, and appears as a judge of the dead in the so-called Susa funerary texts. One of Inshushinak's temples was called haštu, "tomb." The scholarly consensus is that Inshushinak's judgment involved the weighing of souls, an element unknown in Mesopotamia; the idea presumably developed independently from similar Egyptian beliefs. However, archaeologist Nathan Wassermann recently challenged this view, arguing references to weighing in the Susa funerary texts were a mistranslation. Temples Inshushinak's temple located near the acropole of Susa is among the best documented buildings from that city. However multiple temples dedicated to him were located in it, including Ekikuanna ("Pure place of heaven"), a siyan husame (temple in a sacred grove) shared with Lagamar, and more. Inscriptions of the Sumerian king Shulgi state that he built an Inshushinak temple in Susa. It's possible it was the same building as the "old temple" restored by the Sukkalmah dynasty king Kuk-Kirwash. The kukkunum ("high temple") on top of Chogha Zanbil was dedicated to Inshushinak and Napirisha. Shutruk-Nahhunte built another Inshushinak kukkunum in Karintash. In Achaemenid period The fate of Inshushinak's cult in Achaemenid times is uncertain – while Heidemarie Koch proposed that he entirely lost his importance, Wouter Henkelman pointed out in a more recent publication that there is simply no known source dealing with his cult in these times, which isn't necessarily the same as evidence of loss of status, especially considering it is known that he maintained