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

Around 300BC, one of the most ambitious projects of all time was undertaken in the Greek-Egyptian city of Alexandria. The Ptolemies wanted to create the intellectual capital of the world, and so they established the famous LIbrary of Alexandria. This was not the first library, but what made it interesting was their extremely ambitious goal. They wa... See more