Library of Ashurbanipal: prism
- Gallery: Room 1
- Culture: Middle Assyrian
- Date: 1114BC-1076BC
- Object type: prism
- Materials: clay
- Museum number: 91034
- Museum: The British Museum
- Collection record: British Museum website
- Image © The Trustees of the British Museum, shared under a CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 licence.
Listen to the free audio guide
About this object
Before you stands the "Library of Ashurbanipal" — a terracotta prism shaped in an octagonal form. This ancient artifact is covered with eight columns of cuneiform script written in Akkadian. The inscriptions describe the military campaigns and building achievements of Tiglath-pileser I, who ruled from 1114 to 1076 BC.
Despite some damage to a few columns, much of the text is still clearly visible, offering a detailed historical record. The prism is remarkable not only for its content but also for its craftsmanship. Made of clay, it has endured thousands of years and was discovered at Ashur, an important ancient city.
The text includes a lengthy account of the king’s conquests and concludes with details about restoring the temple of the gods Anu and Adad, originally built centuries earlier. This prism is one of several that help shed light on the Middle Assyrian period.
See it in person
Library of Ashurbanipal: prism is on display in Room 1 at the British Museum on Great Russell Street, Bloomsbury, London — free to enter. Choose British Museum on audioguide.london and take a photo of it to hear this free audio guide in six languages — no app download needed.
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