The Library of Ashurbanipal

The Library of Ashurbanipal was an ancient collection of texts gathered by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal during the 7th century BCE in Nineveh, modern-day Iraq. It is considered one of the first known libraries, containing thousands of cuneiform tablets that included literature, religious texts, administrative documents, and scholarly works in various languages, primarily Akkadian and Sumerian. This library played a crucial role in preserving Mesopotamian culture and knowledge, offering insights into early human civilization, religion, mythology, and science. Its discovery in the 19th century significantly advanced our understanding of ancient history and languages.