Ancient Babylonia Glossary - Assurbanipal
King of ancient Assyria (669-633 B.C.), son and successor of Esar-Haddon. The
last of the great kings of Assyria, he drove Taharka out of Egypt and firmly
established Necho in power there only to have Necho's son Psamtik revolt in 660
B.C. and wrest Egypt permanently from Assyria. The uprising took place during a
campaign by Assurbanipal against the Elamites and Chaldaeans. His brother, in
command at Babylon, also headed a serious revolt by the enemies of the king.
This insurgence was suppressed, though not without difficulty, and in retaliation,
Assurbanipal took Babylon and slaughtered (648 B.C.) many of the inhabitants.
He then defeated Elam and sacked Susa; Elamite power disappeared. Under
Assurbanipal, Assyria reached the height of sumptuous living. The famous lion-hunt
reliefs in the royal palace at Nineveh date from his reign and are among the
finest examples of ancient sculpture. Assurbanipal was interested in learning;
excavations at Nineveh have uncovered 22,000 clay tablets from his library-the chief
sources of knowledge of ancient Mesopotamia. Among the tablets were found
copies of the Babylonian flood and creation stories as well as historical and
scientific literature. His reign ended the greatness of the empire (although two of
his sons ruled briefly after his death), and Assyria succumbed to the Medes and
the Persians only a few years later. His great expenditures in wars to
preserve the state contributed somewhat to its collapse. Assurbanipal is probably the
Asnappar or Osnapper of Ezra 4.10. He is identified with, but only faintly
resembles, the Sardanapalus of the Greeks.
Ancient Babylonia
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