Ashurbanipal

Ashurbanipal was king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 668 to about 631 BCE. He expanded Assyrian power and assembled a major library at Nineveh.

Esarhaddon: King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire from 681 to 669 BCE and Ashurbanipal’s father. He designated Ashurbanipal as heir and arranged the succession that brought him to the throne.
Neo-Assyrian Empire: An empire centered in northern Mesopotamia that dominated much of the Near East from the tenth to seventh centuries BCE. Ashurbanipal’s kingship depended on this imperial system of provinces, armies, and tribute.
Cuneiform: A writing system made with wedge-shaped impressions, used for several ancient Near Eastern languages. The tablets collected under Ashurbanipal’s orders were written in cuneiform.
Library of Ashurbanipal: A royal collection of cuneiform tablets assembled at Nineveh under Ashurbanipal in the seventh century BCE. It is the most enduring institution associated with Ashurbanipal’s rule.
Fall of Nineveh: The capture and destruction of Nineveh by Babylonian and Median forces in 612 BCE. The city’s fall ended Assyrian rule there and buried much of the tablet collection.
Shamash-shum-ukin: King of Babylon and Ashurbanipal’s elder brother. His revolt against Assyrian rule led to a major civil war during Ashurbanipal’s reign.
Assyrian royal inscriptions: Official texts recording Assyrian kings’ campaigns, building projects, and claims to authority. They present Ashurbanipal’s victories and royal image in the empire’s own words.
Akkadian language: An East Semitic language used in ancient Mesopotamia and written in cuneiform. Many palace records and scholarly texts associated with Ashurbanipal use Akkadian.
Epic of Gilgamesh: An ancient Mesopotamian epic poem whose standard Babylonian version recounts Gilgamesh’s quest and grief. Fragments from Nineveh preserve a major version of the epic, including its flood narrative.
Neo-Babylonian Empire: A Mesopotamian empire ruled by Babylonian kings from the late seventh to sixth century BCE. It emerged from the power vacuum left by the weakening and defeat of Assyria.

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