WORLD CIVILIZATION

Detailed explanation-1: -The Library of Ashurbanipal (7th century BCE) is the oldest known systematically organized library in the world, established in Nineveh by the Neo-Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (r. 668-627 BCE) to preserve the history and culture of Mesopotamia.

Detailed explanation-2: -Over 30, 000 clay tablets covered in cuneiform writing were found in the ruins of Nineveh (Iraq), the capital of the Assyrian King Ashurbanipal’s (668–631 BC) empire. The Library was excavated between 1851 and 1932 and a selection of tablets from the Library is on permanent display in Room 55.

Detailed explanation-3: -Why is the Library important? Before the discovery of the Library, almost everything we knew about ancient Assyria came from stories in the Bible or classical historians. With the discovery of the Library, thousands of cuneiform texts were recovered, telling the Assyrians’ story in their own words.