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Assyrian pottery Of the XI-VI centuries BC is a very special topic in Near Eastern archaeology for several reasons: it is widely diffused, relates to the expansion Of the first real "empire" in Western Asia, and is wellcharacterized in terms Of typology, manufacturing and decoration.
Especially from the VIII century BC On, the Assyrian policy Of settlement in conquered regions led to a wide-ranging occupation Of all the available landscapes in many Of the conquered provinces. As a result, there are numerous excavations with pottery dating to this period, the features of which are clearly related to those Of types known to have been produced in the main settlements Of the Assyrian homeland. However, the impact Of such pottery seems to have differed from region to region: in some cases, Assyrian pottery types appear without mixing with local products, which sometimes completely disappear. In other cases, both Assyrian and local traditions seem to coexist, and to influence One another reciprocally. Finally, in certain regions only a very weak Assyrian influence seems to be recognizable in the local pottery production, mainly confined to particular luxury Or specialty wares and shapes.
A further noteworthy Obstacle to analysis Of this pottery is due to the fact that, unfortunately, we are mainly dealing with "preliminary" publications Of the various assemblages, which provide Only limited information and, sometimes, inadequate illustrations. Moreover, materials are represented using very different typologies, thus hindering comparison between different assemblages. Finally, Only in a few cases are precise "types" identified and their exact chronology and diffusion defined.
This project is based on my Own previous preliminary research focusing On Iron Age pottery from Upper Mesopotamia,' through which a catalogue Of assemblages from those regions was defined. On this basis, in 2007 the project to put together an Atlas devoted to this pottery was developed. During last two years, work has progressed in the following manner: first of all, a taxonomical classification of pottery from known Assyrian assemblages was carried Out, adopting an analytical typology (described in chapter 3). The second step consisted Of sorting the diagnostic repertory Of vessels in a database, in Order to better Organize it by Occurrences of selected types in different sites, and to single Out the best examples to illustrate the proposed typology. Information about individual assemblages was also Organized in a simple GIS, in Order to provide distribution and diachronical maps to spot the diffusion of the pottery in Assyria and beyond. Then, the iconographic apparatus was realized, by means of tracing the published Or original drawings Of the selected diagnostic vessels with AutoCAD, in Order to provide the volume with a homogeneous and vectorialized set Of illustrations.
This Atlas is the result Of said efforts. The expected goal is not to answer all the Open questions concerning the diffusion, chronology and variety Of types Of this production: the available data are not enough to allow us to understand all of the characteristic Of this pottery, nor to solve many Of the current problems. Rather, this Atlas is intended to offer scholars and researchers a sort Of display case for data and illustrations, as well as to aid in disentangling the many sources Of information existing today on the subject.
My work profited from the assistance Of several colleagues. In particular, I would like to thank Joan Oates, Warwick Ball, Anacleto D'Agostino, Michael Herles, Andrew Jamieson, Timothy Matney, Peter Miglus, Mirko Novák, St. John Simpson and Sebastiano Soldi, who provided me with drawings, photos and pre-prints of unpublished pottery, as well as offering me useful suggestions, comments and remarks.
Special thanks are due to Marc Lebeau, who has supported this project since its very beginning and proposed the publication within the "Subartu" series, and to the whole staff Of the Institut for Ur- and Frühgeschichte Of the University Of Heidelberg, where I spent most Of the time devoted to the bibliographic research in the best atmosphere one could desire when carrying Out archaeological research.
Finally, I wish to note the continuous attention and critical review On the part Of Prof. Dr. Harald Hauptmann, who has supported me in my research since I first met him as student, in long-ago 1995. For his tireless and fundamental help, this work is dedicated to him.
In spite of all this assistance, the Atlas may still contain inaccuracies and lacunae, due to the continuous increase in publications and information On Iron Age excavations carried Out in the Near East. However, the Atlas aims not to be an "exhaustive" work On the topic Of the Assyrian pottery, but to be a useful reference-tool for students and scholars, in Order to make future studies On this subject easier and more fruitful.