| STAGE | PERIOD | PERIOD CODE | DATE BC/AD |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paleolithic | Paleolithic | 1 | 500,000 − 10,000 |
| Neolithic | Early (Aceramic) Neolithic | 2 | 7250 − 6000 |
| Late (Ceramic) Neolithic: (Proto-) Hassuna, Samarra |
3 | 6000 − 5200 | |
| Late Neolithic: Halaf | 4 | 5200 − 4500 | |
| Chalcolithic | Ubaid, Eridu, Haji Mohammad | 5 | 4500 − 4000 |
| Protoliterate | Uruk | 6 | 4000 − 3200 |
| Jemdet Nasr | 7 | 3200 − 3000 | |
| 'Early Historic' | Early Dynastic I, II, III | 8 | 3000 − 2350 |
| Akkadian, Ur, Neo-Sumerian | 9 | 2350 − 2000 | |
| Isin Larsa, Old Babylonian | 10 | 2000 − 1600 | |
| Kassite, Old Aassyrian | 11 | 1600 − 911 | |
| Neo-Assyrian | 12 | 911 − 612 | |
| Neo-Babylonean | 13 | 625 − 539 | |
| Achaemenid | 14 | 539 − 331 | |
| Seleucid | 15 | 312 − 248 | |
| 'Late Historic' | Parthian | 16 | 248 BC − 226 AD |
| Sassanian | 17 | 226 − 636 | |
| Islamic | 18 | 636 − | |