'I am Ashurbanipal, King of the World, King of Assyria' Exhibition
18 November 2026 – 29 March 2027 · 10:00
CaixaForum Barcelona, la Font de la Guatlla, Sants-Montjuïc
Warrior. Scholar. Empire builder. Executioner of kings. Lion hunter. Bibliophile. Ashurbanipal, king of Assyria, one of history's great forgotten kings, in all his grandeur. Ashurbanipal ruled between 669 and 631 BC. In his palace he housed a library of cuneiform tablets with the ambition of gathering all existing knowledge. He presided over the Assyrian empire's greatest expansion and the flourishing of its economy, and his reign spread artistic styles, currents of thought and movements of people across the Mediterranean and the Middle East. He kept an iron grip on his territories and vassals using violence and terror as well as strategy and diplomacy. This exhibition shows the light and shade of this complex, powerful ruler through the collection of Assyrian objects from the British Museum. It also stresses how important the conservation of cultural heritage is for future generations and how it helps us understand the history of humankind.
Source: Ajuntament de Barcelona · checked on 2 November 2026