The Discovery That Uncovered An Ancient Civilization | 4K History Documentary

The Assyrian Empire would rule over the northern Mesopotamian lands for over 1500 years. The last great king of the empire, Ashurbanipal, constructed a grand library which contained thousands of secrets of this once great empire. In 612 BC, a coalition led by the Babylonians would topple the reign of the civilization, and the king’s extraordinary library went down in flames, leaving the empire’s story a forever mystery. That is, until 1849. English Archaeologist Austen Henry Layard returned from an excavation in Modern-day Iraq, telling his people about his magnificent find. The fire which engulfed the now buried library had dried the clay tablets, preserving them for millenia. The library’s chambers were excavated for years to follow and 30,000 clay tablets would be translated. This discovery would be known as “the most precious source of historical material in the world.“ - H.G Wells Ashurbanipal was a king known to torture and kill, yet he never left his palace