How to Pronounce Ashurbanipal

Meaning and Context

Ashurbanipal, who ascended the Assyrian throne in 668 BCE and ruled until approximately 631 BCE, was the last great king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire, presiding over its zenith of power and cultural achievement. Renowned as a formidable warrior-king who expanded the empire's borders, his more enduring legacy is as a scholarly monarch and a visionary patron of knowledge. He commissioned agents to scour his realm and beyond to gather every significant text they could find, from religious incantations and medical treatises to epic literature and administrative records. This monumental effort culminated in the Library of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, a vast cuneiform archive that served as the ancient world's greatest repository of Mesopotamian literature and scholarship. The discovery of its clay tablet fragments in the 19th century provided an unparalleled window into Assyrian civilization, preserving masterpieces like the Epic of Gilgamesh and offering critical insights into ancient science, law, and daily life, securing Ashurbanipal's reputation as history's first great librarian-king.

Common Mistakes and Alternative Spellings

The name "Ashurbanipal" is a standardized Anglicization from the Akkadian Aššur-bāni-apli, meaning "Ashur is the creator of the heir." Common alternative spellings and transliterations include Assurbanipal and the less frequent Asurbanipal. The most frequent error involves the duplication or omission of letters, resulting in typos such as "Ashurbanipal" (missing the second 'a'), "Ashurbanipal" (missing an 'n'), or "Ashurbanipal." Another common mistake is the misspelling of the associated library as the "Library of Ashurbanipal," often incorrectly written as "Library of Ashurbanipal." When referencing the script used in his library, the term cuneiform is sometimes misspelled as "cuniform" or "cuneform."

Example Sentences

Scholars consider the Library of Ashurbanipal to be one of the most important archaeological discoveries for understanding ancient Mesopotamia.

During his reign, Ashurbanipal uniquely boasted of his literacy and his ability to read complex cuneiform texts.

A visit to the British Museum offers the chance to see iconic artifacts from his reign, including the dramatic lion hunt reliefs that decorated his palace at Nineveh.

The survival of the Epic of Gilgamesh is largely due to the copies preserved in Ashurbanipal's great library.

Modern historians study his extensive correspondence to better understand the sophisticated administration of the Neo-Assyrian Empire at its peak.

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