Ashurbanipal
The last great king of Assyria, who gathered a library of tens of thousands of clay tablets at Nineveh, preserving among them the Epic of Gilgamesh.
| Lived | c. 685 BC – 631 BC |
| Known as | King of Assyria |
| Birthplace or main place | Nineveh |
| Places on the map | Nineveh |
NinevehSee the world of Ashurbanipal in the interactive map
Ashurbanipal lived before the earliest border map (500 BC); the map above shows the oldest snapshot available.
Events in his lifetime
| Year | Event | Where |
|---|---|---|
| 668 BC | Ashurbanipal comes to the throne and gathers his library of clay tablets | Nineveh |
Further reading
Last updated 9 November 2026. Sources: border data from historical-basemaps, land and rivers from Natural Earth; texts written for Chronica Maps from standard reference works. How we make the maps.