Ashurbanipal was the son of Esar-haddon (Ezr 4:2) and grandson of Sennacherib. He was a contemporary of King Manasseh of Judah (716-662 B.C.E.), whose name is found on a prism of Ashurbanipal listing some 20 kings as tributaries of Assyria.

Beginning in 1845 C.E., excavations revealed a great library formed by Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, containing some 22,000 clay tablets and texts. In addition to incantations, prayers, and hymns, the thousands of cuneiform writings include treatises on history, geography, astronomy, mathematical tables, medicine, grammar, as well as business documents involving contracts, sales, and loans. They are viewed as a valuable source of information about Assyria.