The Library of Ashurbanipal

When Austin Henry layered and his workmen in 1850 discovered the first of these collections in the Southwest Palace, they were astonished by the large number of clay tablets. It seems that the king sought to assemble at Nineveh all the written knowledge ever produced in ancient Mesopotamia. Two groups of texts were particularly essential to him. Omen treat trees and rituals and incantations. The famous Epic of Gilgamesh takes pride of place. And this is a note about the literacy rate of Assyrian towns. Many free citizens in Assyrian towns seem to have been literate. One out of every three private houses excavated in Assure has yielded an acuniform archive with business documents.