04 · OBJECT · CULT AND PRODUCTION
Uruk Vase The vessel that rises from the fields
The vase shows plants, animals and people carrying offerings in a procession.
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History and context Evidence and facts Objects connected through time Further reading Location and territory Where it is held Sources and references Comments Museum documentation · free public access, no account required.
⛶ Enlarge imageDECLARED VISUAL RECONSTRUCTION · EXISTING EDITORIAL RESOURCE · TRACEKEEPERS Generated reconstruction · Declared visual hypothesis
Declared visual reconstruction for museographic context; it is not a photograph of the original nor documentary evidence.
History and context The great vessel of Uruk organizes its reliefs in stripes: water and vegetation below; animals and offering bearers on top; figures and containers in the upper register. It is one of the earliest narrative images of Mesopotamia.
It doesn't show a photo of a party. It selects the movement of goods towards a sacred instance, and turns everyday provisioning into an image of order.
The stripes of the vessel advance from water and plants to animals and human beings; That verticality turns supply into a cosmology of order. The modern restoration allows us to read a sequence that arrived in fragments.
The upper register has been interpreted as an encounter between a male figure and the sphere of Inanna, but labels are missing. The historical interest does not depend on naming names: the work already documents how production and worship were linked in the image.
Evidence and interpretation Documented fact: The alabaster vase comes from the Eanna area and dates to the end of the 4th millennium BCE; represents a procession of offerings. Interpretation and caution: The identity of the main figures and the exact rite are debated; calling them Inanna and king-priest is not a material certainty.
Documented extension: The alabaster vase comes from Eanna and presents one of the oldest monumental narrative programs in Mesopotamia.
Interpretation and expanded caution: The identifications “Inanna” and “priest-king” are reasonable but not certain; We also do not know the specific occasion for which it was carved.
Catalogue facts
Narrative date ca. 3300–3000 BCE
Location Eanna, Uruk/Warka, Iraq
Material carved alabaster
Context ritual monument
Curatorial reading The documented fact and its interpretation appear separately in the evidence block.
visual structure Overlapping records of landscape, animals, carriers and overhead scene.
Find context Eanna area, Uruk.
Conservation Fragmented and restored object; the current appearance is not intact.
Documentary coverage 2 museum, heritage, primary corpus or research sources for this stop. Stone29 Vessels70 Sculpture54 Human imagery73 Worship and offerings29
The order uses the midpoint of each approximate date range; ranges can overlap. Spacing does not represent elapsed time. Swipe, scroll or use the arrows. With the sequence focused, use ← / →, Home or End.
Earlier Later
≈425,000–375,000 years
Swanscombe handaxe Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age for the Hoxnian interglacial (MIS 11); editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈77,000–75,000 years
Engraved ochre from Blombos Prehistory
Approximate catalogue age; editorial reference 2026 for ordering only, not calibrated dating.
Read the record ≈25.500–23.500 BCE
Before the San San histories
Date of the representative element, not ethnic attribution of its authors.
Read the record ≈25.500–23.500 BCE
Before the name San San histories
Dating of the context of the slabs; anonymous authors.
Read the record PPNA · site proposal: ≈9600–8800 BCE, provisional
Engraved stone from Çakmaktepe Prehistory
Provisional date range for the site; not direct dating of this stone.
Read the record PPNA · ≈9600–8800 BCE, provisional proposal for the site
Grinding stone from Çakmaktepe Prehistory
Provisional date range for the site and the published tools; the identification of the image is unverified.
Read the record End of the 4th millennium BCE
Overlapping dates Warka Mask Sumer
The full 4th millennium BCE provides broad limits for chronological ordering; the record specifies the end of the millennium.
Read the record c. 3500–3100 BCE
Overlapping dates Cylinder seal Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record You are viewing ca. 3300–3000 BCE
Uruk Vase Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Current record ca. 3100 BCE
Overlapping dates Narmer Palette Ancient Egypt
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record Towards 2900–2600 BCE
Worshiper of Tell Asmar Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record Towards 2400 BCE
Statue of Ebih-Il Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record ca. 2600–1900 BCE
Weights Indus civilisation
Date range for the system of weights, not a year-specific date for each example.
Read the record Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE
Lamassu of Khorsabad Sumer
Reign interval associated with the piece.
Read the record 645–635 BCE
Ashurbanipal Hunt Sumer
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record c. 800–300 BCE
Heads on the wall Pre-Inca cultures
Framework of the set of architectural heads.
Read the record first quarter of the 5th century BCE
Sarcophagus of Eshmunazar Phoenicians
First quarter of the 5th century BCE
Read the record First half of the 4th century BCE
The statue was the urn Iberians
First half of the 4th century BCE; date of the funerary context.
Read the record 4th century BCE
The inscription of Pistiros Thracians
Approximate dating according to the record.
Read the record 9 / 19 In the centre: Uruk Vase
Also connected, without a comparable date (10) These objects are not placed after the others: an unknown date does not mean a more recent object.
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Vessels Before Sumer · mid-6th–5th millennium BCE · SumerTwin-chambered vessel from Cova de l’Or · Early Neolithic · VI–V millennia BCE · PrehistoryBefore Egypt · ca. 4400–3800 BCE · Ancient EgyptBefore Nubia · V–IV millennium BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushBefore Gojoseon · Middle Neolithic, c. 4000 BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaBevel-rimmed bowl · ca. 3500–3000 BCE · SumerUruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · Sumer — You are viewingBefore Yayoi · Middle Jōmon, ca. 3000 BCE · Yayoi JapanVasiliki · ca. 2500–2200 BCE · Greek worldsBefore the Greeks · c. 2400–2200 BCE · Greek worldsBefore Ancient China · c. 2500–2000 BCE · Ancient ChinaLongshan · c. 2500–2000 BCE · Ancient ChinaKerma vessel · c. 1802–1640 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushGrave Circle A and Chrysolakkos · 18th–16th centuries BCE · Greek worldsBefore Vedic India · c. 1900–1300 BCE · Vedic and later Indian worldsJue · c. sixteenth century BCE · Ancient ChinaPithos · c. 1450–1375 BCE · Greek worldsTutankhamun's grave goods · death towards 1323 BCE · Ancient EgyptStag Vessel · 14th–13th centuries BCE · HittitesValchitran · second half of the 14th century–beginning of the 13th century BCE, according to NAIM; other publications use wider intervals from the Late Bronze. · ThraciansLiding · 12th–11th centuries BCE · Ancient ChinaBefore the Iberias · Final Bronze, c. 1000 BCE · IberiansGrey bowl from Hastinapura · c. 1100–800 BCE in the classical sequence of Hastinapura · Vedic and later Indian worldsBefore Etruscans and Rome · ca. 850–800 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe urn under the helmet · 9th–8th centuries BCE · Etruscans and RomeTomb 1 at Kuntur Wasi · c. 800 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesRegolini-Galassi tomb · ca. 675–650 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe great Greek krater of Vix · ≈530–500 BCE · Greek worldsScorțaru cauldron · 6th–5th centuries BCE · ThraciansVix Tomb · c. 500 BCE · Celtic worldsOrpheus among the Thracians · circa 440 BCE; attributed to the London Painter E 497. · ThraciansTwenty-six voiceless signs · 5th–4th centuries BCE · Scythians and SakaRogozen · mainly 5th–4th centuries BCE; The set has a history of accumulation, not a single manufacturing date. · ThraciansGrave goods of Baza and Toya · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansThe Attic krater that took on a new life in Cástulo · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsThe silver amphora of Chertomlyk · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsThe Kul-Oba vase · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsFaces of the Steppe · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Scythians and SakaPoroina Mare Rhyton · Second half of the 4th century BCE · ThraciansBorovo · 4th century BC C.; 350–300 BCE in the ISAW catalog. · ThraciansLeipzig Fish Plate · Last third 4th–early 3rd century BCE · Greek worldsGolyamata Kosmatka · End of the 4th century – beginning of the 3rd century BCE; ritual burial at the beginning of the III according to Iskra. · ThraciansPanagyurishte · late 4th century – early 3rd century BCE, towards 300 BCE · ThraciansDove of the Amarejo · 3rd century BCE · IberiansMairena Hoard · 3rd century BCE · IberiansVase from Chão de Lamas · Piece: III–II centuries BCE · concealment ≈110–76 BCE · IberiansVas dels Guerrers · 3rd–early 2nd century BCE · IberiansWarriors' Vase · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · IberiansThe dismantled cauldron · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Celtic worldsKalathos of Alcorisa · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · IberiansPatera from Perotito · Second half of the 2nd–beginnings of the 1st century BCE · IberiansUrewe vessel · regional range c. 800 BCE–650 CE · Bantu-speaking worldsTwo rows of coffins · Mainly Middle Yayoi, 2nd century BCE–1st century CE · Yayoi JapanCeramics that continued · Last third of the 2nd century BCE–1st century CE · IberiansRoman glass oinochoe · Late 1st century BCE–early 1st century CE · Etruscans and RomeGladiators Cup of Chavagnes · 25–75 CE · Etruscans and RomeEgyptian oil lamp with a fish, held in Laon · 3rd–4th centuries CE · Ancient EgyptLaon lamp with fish · 3rd–4th centuries CE · Etruscans and RomeWater in a shell · 1816–1826 · San historiesWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Sculpture Lion-man · ≈40,000 years · Aurignacian · PrehistoryLespugue · ≈28,000 years · PrehistoryZaraysk Bison · ≈23,000–21,000 years · PrehistoryShigir Idol · C. 10,000 BCE · approximation; debated dating · PrehistoryWarka Mask · End of the 4th millennium BCE · SumerGebel el-Arak knife · 3600–3200 BCE · Naqada II C–D · Ancient EgyptUruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · Sumer — You are viewingNarmer Palette · ca. 3100 BCE · Ancient EgyptBefore Yayoi · Middle Jōmon, ca. 3000 BCE · Yayoi JapanUr-Nanshe relief · Mid-3rd millennium BCE · reign of Ur-Nanshe · SumerThe goat from PG 1237 · ca. 2600–2400 BCE · SumerStele of the Vultures · Towards 2450–2425 BCE · SumerAkkadian sovereign head · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerNaram-Sin Stele · Reign of Naram-Sin, 2254–2218 BCE · SumerBefore Pre-Inca Cultures · Kotosh-Mito Tradition, c. 2200–1500 BCE; the enclosure is usually situated around 1800 BCE. · Pre-Inca culturesQueen of the Night · 19th–18th centuries BCE · SumerBull-leaping · c. 1600–1450 BCE · Greek worldsWooden faces · c. 1600–1000 BCE, in several phases · Maya worldsHead 2 · c. 1200–900 BCE · Maya worldsThe voice of Ahiram · c. 11th–10th century BCE · PhoeniciansBefore the Scythians and Sakas · Final Bronze–Initial Iron, ca. 1200–600 BCE · Scythians and SakaBlack Obelisk · 825 BCE · SumerIvory in Nimrud · 9th–8th centuries BCE · PhoeniciansLas Limas · c. 1000–600 BCE · Maya worldsAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansLamassu of Khorsabad · Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE · SumerThe Lanzón · c. 900–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesStele of Esarhaddon · 7th century BC C. · 671 campaign BCE · SumerThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · IberiansThe Tello Obelisk · c. 800–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesAshurbanipal Hunt · 645–635 BCE · SumerHeads on the wall · c. 800–300 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesTwo voices in an urn · 530–520 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe god on the roof · Towards 510–500 BCE · Etruscans and RomeGlazed brick guards · 522–486 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaTwenty-three delegations · 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes · Achaemenid PersiaSarcophagus of Eshmunazar · first quarter of the 5th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe statue was the urn · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansThe Raimondi Stele · c. 400–200 BCE according to MNAAHP · Pre-Inca culturesTorreáguila fountain spout · 101–125 CE · Etruscans and RomeThe date of 292 · 292 CE · Maya worldsArticulated doll from Tarragona · Late 3rd–4th century CE · Etruscans and RomeSeven heads · c. 500–700 CE · Bantu-speaking worldsSeated figure · 13th century, date attributed by the museum · Mande WorldsGold rhinoceros · ca. 1220–1290; found in 1933 · Bantu-speaking worldsZimbabwe birds · main period of Great Zimbabwe, c. 12th–15th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKongo crucifix · 16th–17th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKuba ndop · ca. 1760 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Before Persia · Central core c. seventeenth century BCE; Neo-Elamite additions between the ninth and sixth centuries BCE · Achaemenid PersiaLararium of Vilauba · Roman period · Etruscans and RomeThe Thracian Horseman · Roman era · diffusion especially in the 2nd–3rd centuries CE · ThraciansHuman imagery Lion-man · ≈40,000 years · Aurignacian · PrehistoryHohle Fels · ≈40,000 years · Aurignacian · PrehistoryWillendorf · ≈29,500 years · PrehistoryBrno II Articulated Figure · ≈28,000 years cal BP · by funerary association · PrehistoryDolní Věstonice I · ≈29,000–27,000 years · PrehistoryLespugue · ≈28,000 years · PrehistoryKostenki I · ≈23,000–21,000 years · PrehistoryShigir Idol · C. 10,000 BCE · approximation; debated dating · PrehistoryNahal Hemar mask · Eighth millennium BCE · context dating, not direct dating of the stone · PrehistoryEl Miradero spatula-idols · ≈4000–3800 cal BCE · PrehistoryWarka Mask · End of the 4th millennium BCE · SumerCueva de las Manos · Sequence ≈9300–1300 BP · PrehistoryUruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · Sumer — You are viewingWorshiper of Tell Asmar · Towards 2900–2600 BCE · SumerStandard of Ur · ca. 2600–2400 BCE · SumerStatue of Ebih-Il · Towards 2400 BCE · SumerAkkadian sovereign head · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerBassetki Statue · Akkadian period · 23rd century BCE · SumerBefore Pre-Inca Cultures · Kotosh-Mito Tradition, c. 2200–1500 BCE; the enclosure is usually situated around 1800 BCE. · Pre-Inca culturesQueen of the Night · 19th–18th centuries BCE · SumerBull-leaping · c. 1600–1450 BCE · Greek worldsWooden faces · c. 1600–1000 BCE, in several phases · Maya worldsHead 2 · c. 1200–900 BCE · Maya worldsIvory in Nimrud · 9th–8th centuries BCE · PhoeniciansLas Limas · c. 1000–600 BCE · Maya worldsAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansLamassu of Khorsabad · Reign of Sargon II · 721–705 BCE · SumerThe Lanzón · c. 900–500 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesOffering 4 · c. 800–600 BCE · Maya worldsKushite king · c. 721–664 BCE · Nubia, Kerma and KushThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · PhoeniciansThe so-called ‘Priest of Cádiz’ · 7th century BCE · IberiansHeads on the wall · c. 800–300 BCE · Pre-Inca culturesShabti of Psamtek · 570–526 BCE · Ancient EgyptTwo voices in an urn · 530–520 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe god on the roof · Towards 510–500 BCE · Etruscans and RomeGlazed brick guards · 522–486 BCE · Achaemenid PersiaTwenty-three delegations · 6th–5th centuries BCE, mainly under Darius and Xerxes · Achaemenid PersiaBanquet under leopards · Around 480–470 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe statue was the urn · First half of the 4th century BCE · IberiansA battle on a comb · Early 4th century BCE · Scythians and SakaThe Kul-Oba vase · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsThe Solokha gold comb · 4th century BCE · Greek worldsFaces of the Steppe · Second half of the 4th century BCE · Scythians and SakaLady of Ibiza · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · PhoeniciansPunic head pendant · Mid 4th–3rd centuries BCE · PhoeniciansLady of Ibiza · 4th–3rd centuries BCE · IberiansThe Raimondi Stele · c. 400–200 BCE according to MNAAHP · Pre-Inca culturesChão de Lamas pectoral · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · concealed in the early 1st century BCE · IberiansVas dels Guerrers · 3rd–early 2nd century BCE · IberiansWarriors' Vase · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · IberiansThe dismantled cauldron · 2nd–1st centuries BCE · Celtic worldsThe walls of San Bartolo · c. 100 BCE · Maya worldsGladiators Cup of Chavagnes · 25–75 CE · Etruscans and RomeThracian Gladiator from Cádiz · 67–100 CE · Etruscans and RomeTorreáguila fountain spout · 101–125 CE · Etruscans and RomeArticulated doll from Tarragona · Late 3rd–4th century CE · Etruscans and RomeSeven heads · c. 500–700 CE · Bantu-speaking worldsSeated figure · 13th century, date attributed by the museum · Mande WorldsKongo crucifix · 16th–17th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsKuba ndop · ca. 1760 · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
Before Persia · Central core c. seventeenth century BCE; Neo-Elamite additions between the ninth and sixth centuries BCE · Achaemenid PersiaBhimbetka · Mesolithic–historical and medieval period · PrehistoryEland Cave · Regional tradition of ≈4,000 years · up to historical period · PrehistoryFour offerers · Iberian period · individual dating according to catalogue · IberiansGame Pass Shelter · Regional rock art chronology · panel not dated in isolation · San historiesLararium of Vilauba · Roman period · Etruscans and RomeLeang Karampuang · Minimum 51,200 years · dating published in 2024 · PrehistoryQuinkan Country · Regional art up to ≈27,000 BP · modern continuity · PrehistorySierra de San Francisco · Broad tradition with direct dates ≈5290–295 BP · PrehistoryTassili n’Ajjer · Corpus ≈6000 BCE–first centuries CE · PrehistoryThe Thracian Horseman · Roman era · diffusion especially in the 2nd–3rd centuries CE · ThraciansWorship and offerings Uruk Vase · ca. 3300–3000 BCE · Sumer — You are viewingWorshiper of Tell Asmar · Towards 2900–2600 BCE · SumerStatue of Ebih-Il · Towards 2400 BCE · SumerBefore Phoenicia · 20th–18th centuries BCE · PhoeniciansJue · c. sixteenth century BCE · Ancient ChinaRubber before the stadium · c. 1600–1200 BCE for the oldest specimens · Maya worldsWooden faces · c. 1600–1000 BCE, in several phases · Maya worldsLiding · 12th–11th centuries BCE · Ancient ChinaAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · PhoeniciansAstarte from El Carambolo · 8th century BCE · IberiansThe invisible mosaic · c. 900–600 BCE · Maya worldsOffering 4 · c. 800–600 BCE · Maya worldsUni was also Astarte · Towards 510 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThe god on the roof · Towards 510–500 BCE · Etruscans and RomeThoth in the form of a baboon · 664–30 BCE · Ancient EgyptPoroina Mare Rhyton · Second half of the 4th century BCE · ThraciansEight voices in one hand · 3rd–2nd centuries BCE · Gojoseon and early KoreaThirty-nine buried bells · Buried towards the 1st century BCE–1st century CE · Yayoi JapanBetatun altar · 1st century BCE–1st century CE · IberiansKongo crucifix · 16th–17th centuries · Bantu-speaking worldsWithout a comparable date (not part of the chronological order):
A closer look About 1 min to read · 1 section. Further reading and sources · free access. Editorial review recorded: September 5, 2026 .
A break that already had ancient history The plaster replica studied by Morgan preserves the repair marks present on the original. These traces introduce time into the piece itself: the vessel did not go directly from the workshop to the burial, but rather it was damaged and intervened while it continued to be part of its ancient world. Observing the repairs next to the relief allows us to distinguish two works, that of the sculptor and that of those who tried to maintain the object. The documented copy makes even those irregularities visible, in addition to reproducing the scene.
Location and territory Physical world map with routes of human evolution Present-day world coastline from Natural Earth in an equirectangular projection. The overlaid markers let you explore each milestone. Map base: Natural Earth 1:110m · public domain · present-day reference coastline LOCATED SITE
Uruk/Warka · Iraq Marker of the archaeological city. Where it is held Item or group in the record · Documented collection
The institutional catalog identifies the original as Iraq Museum IM 19606; It is not confused with the reproduction-fragments shown by ISAC.
The holding institution is documented; public display may change. Check its official record before visiting.
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