Images

Complete statue of an unknown sitting woman from the ancient city of Hatra. She wears an elaborate headdress, earrings, necklace, and dress. Both arms rest on her thighs and the woman's hands cover the knees. From Hatra (Al-Hadhr), modern...

These two pottery lamps date back to the Neo-Assyrian period, 911-612 BCE. From Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

This large pottery flask was found in the ancient mound of Tapa Raza, Sharazor plain, modern-day Sulaimaniya Governorate, Mesopotamia, Iraq. Late Sassanid/early Islamic period, 6th to 7th centuries CE. The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

This perfume bottle was found in Mesopotamia and dates back to the early Islamic period, 7th-9th centuries CE. The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

Head of a statue of a nobleman. From Hatra (Al-Hadhr), modern Al-Jazira Region, Ninawa Governorate, Mesopotamia, Iraq. 2nd to 3rd centuries CE. The Sulaimaniya Museum, Iraq.

This cylinder seal dates back to the early dynastic period, 2900-2350 BCE, and was found at Mattarah village (near Kirkuk), Mesopotamia, modern-day Iraq. The seal's impression has two registers. The lower one features standing men and animals...

The head of this sculpture of an eagle seems to have been deliberately broken. The rest of the body rests on a plateau. Below there are statuettes of priests who, as in all other Hatra statues, raise their right hands with the palms facing...

A lion-shaped sima - the gutter which collected rainwater from the roof of a temple, often containing decorative spouts at regular intervals. (National Archaeological Museum Athens)

The Antikythera Mechanism (c. 50 BCE), a device used to calculate astronomical positions. The device was found in a shipwreck off the coast of the island of Antikythera. (National Archaeological Museum, Athens).

A drum from a column of the Parthenon, Athens showing the flutes of the shaft in cross-section.