I am Ashurbanipal, king of the world, king of Assyria

To many, the name Ashurbanipal, will sound unfamiliar or may bring back distant memories of history classes. Assyria, one of the greatest kingdoms in the world, was at its peak in 631BC, with lands extending from the modern day Cyprus to Iraq and Egypt. This expansion was only possible under the competent reign of Ashurbanipal, youngest son of Esarhaddon.

So how can a man reign over such a massive empire? Compared to his predecessors, Ashurbanipal was more than just a ruthless ruler - although he certainly was that, fearlessly impaling lions and slaying his enemies, be they a neighbouring rebellious king or his own older brother. The King of the Neo-Assyrian Empire was renowned for his mind, of which he was proud, as you will notice on the stonework displayed at the exhibition, where Ashurbanipal is presented with a spear in his hand and - more significantly - a stylus behind his belt.

Ashurbanipal’s passion for writing led him to establish The Royal Library, located in the capital of Assyria, Nineveh, holding over 30,000 tablets consisting of diverse texts from legal documents to literary compositions including the Epic of Gilgamesh. A vast number of these tablets are present at the exhibition due to an unfortunate (or fortunate) occurrence. During the fall of Nineveh, an event recorded in Greek history and described in the Bible, many of these tablets were baked in the great fire that burned down the city, thus preserving them to this day.

In this exhibition, the British Museum presents the life of Ashurbanipal through over 250 exhibits from museums all around the world. From stone carvings to jewels, statues, and tablets, some of which have not been shown to the public eye in the past 15 years. The exhibition takes you slowly through the history of Assyria before, during and after the reign of its greatest King, Ashurbanipal.

The exhibits allow you to fully immerse yourself in the castle life of the capital Nineveh, with wall reliefs presenting stories of lion hunts, wars, and the relaxed life inside the palace walls. In case you are lost while trying to understand what is happening on the stone carvings, the museum has cleverly placed projectors to light up bits and pieces of the artefact, with accompanying sound effects, while projecting a description of the events in the carving nearby, creating a cohesive story.

I am Ashurbanipal: king of the world, king of Assyria is more than just an exhibition portraying some long forgotten history. At the end of the exhibition you will also be presented with a surprise: a video message from the women who are partaking in the Iraq Emergency Heritage Management Training Scheme.

This scheme, developed by the British Museum, empowers Iraqi women by providing them necessary archaeological training in an attempt to preserve their heritage. Most of the exhibits have come from Nineveh, Iraq, a historical site that has seen appalling destruction at the hand of the Islamic State in 2015. Currently the British museum team with the Iraqi Board of Antiquities and Heritage are rescuing the archaeological treasures from the affected sites.

Splendour and might, this exhibition presents the peak of a civilisation the history of which remains unknown to many. Be ready to transport yourself more than 2,000 in the past as the King has left many stories behind worthy to be passed down in time, so come and listen to them passing through the exhibition which resembles a well written narrative with picturesque and captivating artefacts.

-4.5 stars