This book is a catalogue of the idiophones acquired by the Department of the Near East of the British Museum since the mid-nineteenth century. It includes clay rattles principally from Ur, dating from the third millennium BC; shell clappers; copper and bronze clappers and cymbals from Nimrud and from other prestigious locations and a remarkable collection of bronze bells mainly from Nimrud, unearthed by Layard around 1850. The book gives an accurate description of the objects along with former references and a comprehensive bibliography.

ICONEA is the only publication exclusively dedicated to the archaeomusicology of Near and Middle Eastern cultures from its Sumerian origins to the dawn of Christianity. ICONEA also publishes papers of comparative archaeomusicology with contemporaneous neighbouring cultures.