Ashurbanipal II: Did you mean...?

The Assyrian military was the most effective – and feared – fighting force in the Near East, especially during the time of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, 912-612 BCE, when their territory expanded across Mesopotamia, the Levant, into Asia Minor...

Ancient Mesopotamian government was based on the understanding that human beings were created to help and serve the gods. The high priest, king, assembly of elders, governors, and any other officials were recognized as stewards chosen by...

Kush was a kingdom in northern Africa in the region corresponding to modern-day Sudan. The larger region around Kush (later referred to as Nubia) was inhabited c. 8,000 BCE but the Kingdom of Kush rose much later. The Kerma Culture, so named...

The Fertile Crescent, often called the "Cradle of Civilization", is the region in the Middle East which curves, like a quarter-moon shape, from the Persian Gulf, through modern-day southern Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Jordan, Israel and northern...

Memphis was one of the oldest and most important cities in ancient Egypt, located at the entrance to the Nile River Valley near the Giza plateau. It served as the capital of ancient Egypt and an important religious cult center. The original...

Ninurta (identified with Ningirsu, Pabilsag, and the biblical Nimrod) is the Sumerian and Akkadian hero-god of war, hunting, and the south wind. He first appears in texts in the early 3rd millennium BCE as an agricultural god and local deity...

Kalhu (also known as Caleh, Calah, and Nimrud, in modern-day northern Iraq) was a city in ancient Mesopotamia that became the capital of the Assyrian Empire under Ashurnasirpal II (r. 884-859 BCE) who moved the central government there from...

Frieze depicting a lion hunt, from the royal palace of Ashurbanipal, Nineveh, modern-day Iraq. Neo-Assyrian Empire, 668-631 BCE. The king's role was to protect his people from enemies. In ancient Assyria, this was symbolized in the lion...

Gypsum wall relief depicting the typical royal hunting of lions, part of a longer sequence. The king, Ashurbanipal II, thrusts a spear onto a leaping and furious lion. Behind him, an Elamite squire assists him. Partially appearing on the...

The age-old vulnerability of libraries in times of warfare applied as ever during the sack of Nineveh. Many tablets were badly smashed, while others probably perished altogether. With some, such as this tablet of lunar omens, severe burning...