Assurbanipal (Aššurbanipal)

Assurbanipal is often seen as the last of the great Assyrian kings. Under his reign, Assyria invaded Egypt as far west as Thebes and defeated Elam to the east, destroying one of its capitals, Susa. The great royal library of Nineveh bears his name because he added a large number of works to the catalogue. From the 650s onwards, however, he faced serious challenges to his power, including the revolt of his own brother, the Babylonian king Shamash-shum-ukin (Šamaš-šum-ukin). By the end of the decade, Egypt had been lost. Assurbanipal (Aššurbanipal) was the ruler who inspired Sardanapale, a character in classical literature, a fusion of the Assyrian king and his brother Shamash-shum-ukin (Šamaš-šum-ukin).