Plot: Ashurbanipal, King of Assyria, collected a library at his capital city of Nineveh, containing, it is estimated, 20,000-30,000 clay tablets written in cuneiform script such as those in Ashburbanipal's library, or other cuneiform archives, were not typically fired in kilns for preservation. It is thought, however, that a significant portion of Ashurbanipal's library survived to the present