This catalogue makes available more than 600 complete or fragmentary stone vessels kept in the British Museum. Most of them were excavated at Nineveh and other major sites in northern Iraq and Syria, and are presented here for the first time. They range in date from prehistory down to the Persian and Hellenistic periods; the bulk belong in the eighth and seventh centuries, when the Near East under Assyrian rule grew increasingly cosmopolitan. The collection includes luxury items made for palaces and temples, often bearing royal inscriptions, besides many perfume-jars, mortars and other vessels for practical use. The catalogue incorporates extensive information on material culture, art, technology, economic relationships, and social and religious practices, and will be used by historians, archaeologists, philologists and anthropologists alike.

• Title Page
• Copyright Page
• Preface
• Table of Contents
• Introduction
• Abbreviations
• Catalogue
  • 1–3. Calcite jars, fourteenth–thirteenth century BC
  • 4–9. Anthropomorphic jars, fourteenth–thirteenth century BC
  • 10. Anthropomorphic jar, ninth–seventh century BC
  • 11–48. Alabaster pedestal jars, fourteenth–thirteenth century BC
  • 49–50. Jar-stoppers, fourteenth–thirteenth century BC
  • 51–60. Jars, eighth century BC
  • 61–264. Jars, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 265. Jar-stopper, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 266–268. Inscribed jars, seventh–sixth century BC
  • 269–277. Inscribed jars, fifth century BC
  • 278–301. Small jars, sixth century BC and later
  • 302–312. Composite and truncated jars, eighth–first century BC
  • 313–314. Decanters, seventh–sixth century BC
  • 315–321. Flasks, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 322–346. Bowls or light mortars, seventh–third millennium BC
  • 347–350. Palettes, sixth–fifth millennium BC
  • 351. Rounded basalt mortar, about sixth millennium BC
  • 352–355. Oblong mortars, sixth–third millennium BC
  • 356–360. Miniature containers, sixth–fourth millennium BC
  • 361. Squat bowl, ninth–seventh century BC
  • 362–364. Large plain bowls or mortars, about ninth–eighth century BC
  • 365–415. Double-rim bowls, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 416–427. Various bowls, seventh century BC
  • 428–434. Handled dishes, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 435–439. Rosette bowls and dishes, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 440. Deep bowl, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 441–444. Dishes, seventh–fifth century BC
  • 445–446. Pedestal bowls, eighth century BC
  • 447–451. Tripod bowls, tenth–fourth century BC
  • 452–453. Rounded basalt mortars, fourteenth–thirteenth century BC
  • 454–467. Rounded basalt mortars, ninth–seventh century BC
  • 468–473. Tetrapod basalt mortars, ninth–seventh century BC
  • 474–475. Fine long mortars, seventh century BC
  • 476–482. Fine short mortars, seventh century BC
  • 483–487. Various mortars, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 488–496. Oblong trays, seventh–fifth century BC
  • 497–504. Pipe saucers, ninth–eighth century BC
  • 505–510. Handled saucers, ninth–seventh century BC
  • 511–522. Closed saucers, seventh century BC
  • 523–525. Kohl-pots, eighth–fifth century BC
  • 526–528. Boxes, ninth–seventh century BC
  • 529–530. Boxes, about fifth–third century BC
  • 531–533. Squat jars, seventh century BC and later
  • 534–541. Lids, ninth–second century BC
  • 542–550. Cosmetic palettes and mortars, eighth–sixth century BC
  • 551–565. Cosmetic palettes and mortars, fifth–second century BC
  • 566–572. Miniature containers, eighth–seventh century BC
  • 573–575. Miniature jars, third–second century BC
  • 576–579. Spoons, eighth–sixth century BC
  • 580. Lamp, about fifth century BC
  • 581–585. Incense-burners, ninth–seventh century BC and later
  • 586–597. Ritual furnishings, late fourth–third millennium BC
  • 598–599. Large ritual bowls, ninth–eighth century BC
  • 600–606. Ritual pails, ninth century BC
  • 607–612. Ritual semicircular saucers, ninth–sixth century BC
  • 613–620. Various ritual vessels, ninth–sixth century BC
  • 621–626. Zoomorphic vessels, third millennium BC
  • 627–666. Additional items
• Documentation of the Collections
• Concordance: British Museum Collection and Catalogue Numbers
• Citations of British Museum Objects
• Bibliography