Library of Ashurbanipal

The Library of Ashurbanipal, located in ancient Nineveh (modern Iraq), is one of the earliest and most significant collections of written works in history. Established by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal in the 7th century BCE, it housed thousands of clay tablets inscribed with texts covering literature, science, religion, and administration. This library preserved important works, including the Epic of Gilgamesh, and provided insights into ancient Mesopotamian civilization. Its discovery in the 19th century offered historians a wealth of knowledge about early human culture, language, and thought, highlighting the importance of written record-keeping in human history.