M’zaka za m’ma 1850, akatswiri ofukula zinthu zakale ku Kuyunjik, m’dziko la Iraq, anapeza nkhokwe yamtengo wapatali ya miyala yadongo yolembedwa mawu a m’zaka za m’ma 7 BC. “Mabuku” akale anali a Ashurbanipal, yemwe ankalamulira ufumu wakale wa Asuri kuyambira 668 BC mpaka 630 BC. Iye anali mfumu yaikulu yomaliza ya Ufumu Wachiwiri wa Asuri.
Zina mwa zidutswa 30,000 zolembedwa (pamapiritsi a cuneiform) zinali zolembedwa zakale, zolembedwa zamalamulo ndi zamalamulo (zolemba zamakalata ndi zibwenzi zakunja, zilengezo zaufumu, ndi nkhani zachuma), nkhani zachipatala. “zamatsenga” zolemba pamanja ndi zolemba, kuphatikizapo "Epic ya Gilgamesh". Zina zonse zinali zokhudza kuwombeza, kuwombeza, maula, ndi nyimbo zoimbira milungu yosiyanasiyana.
Laibulaleyo inapangidwa kuti ikhale ya banja lachifumu, ndipo munali zinthu zimene mfumu inapereka, koma inatsegulidwanso kwa ansembe ndi akatswiri olemekezeka. Laibulaleyi inatchedwa dzina la mfumu Ashurbanipal.
Zolembazo zili ndi "zofunika zosayerekezeka" pophunzira zikhalidwe zakale za ku Near East, malinga ndi British Museum, kumene zidutswa zambiri zochokera ku Library ya Ashurbanipal panopa zimakhala.
Laibulaleyi inamangidwa kumpoto kwa Iraq masiku ano, pafupi ndi mzinda wa Mosul. Zipangizo zochokera ku laibulaleyo zapezedwa ndi Sir Austen Henry Layard, woyenda wa ku England, ndi wofukula mabwinja, pamalo ofukula mabwinja a Kouyunjik, Nineve.
Malinga ndi ziphunzitso zina, Library ya Alexandria anauziridwa ndi Library ya Ashurbanipal. Alexander Wamkulu anasekedwa nazo ndipo anafuna kulenga wina mu ufumu wake. Anayambitsa ntchito yomwe inamalizidwa ndi Ptolemy pambuyo pa imfa ya Alexander.
Zambiri mwa zolembazo zinalembedwa makamaka m’Chiakadi m’zilembo za cuneiform pamene zina zinalembedwa m’Chisuri. Zambiri mwazinthu zoyambirira zawonongeka ndipo sizingatheke kumangidwanso. Mapale ambiri ndi matabwa olembera ndi zidutswa zowonongeka kwambiri.
Ashurbanipal analinso katswiri wa masamu komanso mmodzi wa mafumu ochepa kwambiri amene ankatha kuwerenga zilembo za cuneiform m’Chiakadi ndi Chisumerian. M’malemba ena, iye anati:
“Ine, Assurbanipal m’kati mwa (nyumba yachifumu), ndinasamalira nzeru za Nebo, za magome onse olembedwa ndi dongo, zinsinsi zawo ndi zovuta zomwe ndinazithetsa.”
Zolemba zina za m’gulu limodzi mwa malembawo zimachenjeza kuti ngati wina akuba miyala (ya ku laibulale) yake, milungu “mugwetseni pansi” ndi “mufafanize dzina lake, mbewu yake, m’dziko.”
Kuwonjezera pa mwaluso "Epic ya Gilgamesh" nthano ya Adapa, nthano ya kulengedwa kwa Babulo "Inu Eliš," ndi nkhani monga “Munthu Wosauka wa ku Nippur” Zinali m’gulu la zolemba ndi nthano zofunika kwambiri zopezedwa mu Library ya Ashurbanipal.
Akatswiri a mbiri yakale ananena kuti laibulale ya mbiri yakale inapsa ndi moto m’chaka cha 612 BC pamene mzinda wa Nineve unawonongedwa. Komabe, pamotopo mapiritsiwo adasungidwa modabwitsa kwa zaka zikwi ziwiri zotsatira mpaka atapezekanso mu 1849.
