Library of Ashurbanipal

Esarhaddon selected Ashurbanipal as heir c. 673. The selection of Ashurbanipal bypassed the elder son Shamash-shum-ukin. Perhaps in order to avoid future rivalry, Esarhaddon designated Shamash-shum-ukin as the heir to Babylonia. The two brothers jointly acceded to their respective thrones after Esarhaddon's death in 669, though Shamash-shum-ukin wa... See more

Sargon’s reign, over four thousand years ago, set the archetype of ‘king as father.’ He had himself portrayed as paternalism embodied, the Great Man, an ideal leader who stood above his people and knew what was best for them. In order to do so, Sargon also invented patronage as a business model for the arts, recognising the capacity of culture to e

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