As a military leader, he was a failure, and did not capitalize on the expansionist gains of his father, Esarhaddon.
He may be the source of the semi-historical myth of Saradanapalus. His contribution to modern archaeology is undeniable, however, because the discovery of his great systematic library, the first of its kind known in the near East, has yielded great treasures such as the entire Epic of Gilgamesh. As a military leader, he was a failure, and did not capitalize on the expansionist gains of his father, Esarhaddon. FTP, name this last of the great Assyrian kings, whose declining empire enabled the rise of the Babylonians.
He may be the source of the semi-historical myth of Saradanapalus.
{Asshurbanipal}