Soc Assurbanipal, rei del món, rei dAssíria'

Warrior. Scholar. Forger of empires. Executioner of kings. Lion hunter. Bibliophile. Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, one of the great forgotten kings of history, in all his grandeur.Ashurbanipal ruled between 669 and 631 BC. In his palace he housed a library of cuneiform tablets with the ambition of gathering all existing knowledge. He was responsible for the greatest expansion of the Assyrian empire and the flourishing of its economy, and his reign drove the spread of artistic styles, currents of thought and human movements throughout the Mediterranean and the Middle East. He maintained a firm control over his territories and vassals, using both violence and terror as well as strategy and diplomacy.This exhibition shows the light and shadow of this complex and powerful ruler through the collection of Assyrian objects from the British Museum. It also highlights the importance that the conservation of cultural heritage has for future generations and how it helps us understand the history of humanity.