This is one of an estimated 400 inscribed paving slabs which came from the temple of the god Nabu. They were laid face down so that the inscription would not wear away. The text on the slabs records that king Assurbanipal laid this pavement in the courtyard of the temple and asks the god to give him a 'life of long days' in return. It also records Assurbanipal's victory over the Elamites in Iran, including his beheading of the Elamite king Teumman and the subjugation of his successors. Nineveh was capital of the Assyrian empire 704 BC until its downfall in 612 BC. It has been almost continuously occupied from prehistoric times down to today when it is a suburb of the modern town of Mosul.