Ashurbanipal Library Project: Digital Access to 7th Century BCE Assyrian Tablets
The British Museum's Ashurbanipal Library Project, launched in 2002, has digitized over 32,000 cuneiform tablets from the Library of Ashurbanipal in Nineveh (modern Mosul, Iraq). The library, assembled by King Ashurbanipal (reigned 669–630 BCE), was a tool of power containing knowledge on religion, medicine, divination, and mythology. Excavated by Austen Henry Layard in the mid-19th century, the tablets were preserved by fire during Nineveh's sack in 612 BCE. The project provides free online access to high-resolution images and transcriptions, with ongoing fragment reunification and research. Key contributors include Jeanette Fincke, who cataloged 3,500 Babylonian-script tablets, and Riekele Borger. Supported by the Andrew Mellon Foundation (2009–2013), the project continues to update its catalog and study medical texts and colophons.
Key facts
- The Library of Ashurbanipal was created in the 7th century BCE in Nineveh (Mosul, Iraq).
- King Ashurbanipal reigned from 669 to 630 BCE.
- Over 32,000 tablets and fragments are held by the British Museum.
- The library was destroyed by fire during the sack of Nineveh in 612 BCE.
- Austen Henry Layard excavated the site in the mid-19th century.
- The Ashurbanipal Library Project began in 2002 in collaboration with the University of Mosul.
- High-resolution digital images were produced with Andrew Mellon Foundation support from 2009 to 2013.
- The project aims to reconstruct medical texts and study colophons to understand the library's scope.
Entities
Artists
- Ashurbanipal
- Austen Henry Layard
- Jeanette Fincke
- Riekele Borger
Institutions
- British Museum
- University of Mosul
- Andrew Mellon Foundation
Locations
- Nineveh
- Mosul
- Iraq
- Kuyunjik
- England