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Janae Bardell
History 134
9-14-14
Nineveh, and near Kouyunjik.iv The first tablets were found at Kouyunjik, by British
archaeologist Austen Henry Layard. Many tablets existed in the library, but when found,
only a small number of tablets were in tact and could be deciphered. Among these tablets
were the Epic of Creation and the Epic of Gilgamesh.
The Epic of Gilgamesh has proven to be the most famous cuneiform tablet, with the
entire epic written on it. The tablet also won its fame because the story is remarkably
similar to the story of the flood in the book of Genesis. The epic is made up of five
Sumerian poems which, together, form the complete story of Gilgamesh. Although the
library at Nineveh is famous on its own, the Epic of Gilgamesh tablet makes the library
all that much more impressive.
Many of the tablets were kept at Ashurbanipals palace (North Palace), which was
decorated with many sculptures depicting how Ashurbanipal defeated the Elamites. For
example, in his palace he kept a sculpture of him and his wife holding the head of the
Elamite king. He also had panels on the walls of his palace depicting him killing lions for
sport.
King Ashurbanipal was seen as cruel by many, but he did many great things for his
empire like conquering new territory, and most importantly, building one of the most
important libraries in history. The Library of Ashurbanipal gives us insight to the past that
we would not have otherwise, and lets us know how important gaining knowledge and
preserving information really is.
Notes
In the article Ashurbanipal written by Joshua J. Mark on Ancient History Enclycopedia, he goes into detail about how
Ashurbanipal took over many territories.
ii
Assyria written by Joshua J. Mark on Ancient History Encyclopedia, explains why Zakutu entered into the Loyalty
Treaty.
iii
The British Museum shows the tablet of the Epic of Gilgamesh and the cuneiform writing.
iv
Jeanette C. Fincke writes about The British Museums Ashurbanipal Library Project, describing the discovery of the
Library of Ashurbanipal.
Works Cited
Mark, Joshua J. "Assyria." Ancient History Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
The Ancient History Encyclopedia is a well-researched and educational website, which is aligned
with school history curriculum.
Wiseman, Donald John. "Personality and Significance." Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia
Britannica, n.d. Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
Encyclopedia Britannica is a reputable English-language encyclopedia, first published in 1768,
published in 15 editions.
"The Flood Tablet / The Gilgamesh Tablet / Library of Ashurbanipal."British Museum. N.p., n.d. Web.
14 Sept. 2014.
The British Museum database is an inventory of the museums collection and records what is
known about its artifacts.
Fincke, Jeanette C. "The British Museum's Ashurbanipal Library Project."Academia.edu. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Sept. 2014.
Jeanette C. Fincke researched the Royal Library and wrote an extensive journal on The British
Museums project on Ashurbanipals library.