The problematic collection of the British Museum includes many reliefs from this empire discovered by Austen Henry Layard. For 10 points each:
[10e] Name this empire of the ancient Near East home to the Library of Ashurbanipal in its capital of Nineveh.
ANSWER: Assyrian Empire [accept Neo-Assyrian Empire]
[10m] While conducting excavations in Assyria, Layard found many of these statues of winged human headed bulls, which were often found in pairs at the entrances of buildings. Their male counterparts are called shedu.
ANSWER: lamassu
[10h] This ethnically Assyrian archaeologist worked as Layard’s assistant during the excavations of Nimrud and Nineveh. He is credited with discovering the clay tablets containing the text of the Epic of Gilgamesh.
ANSWER: Hormuzd Rassam
<SM, Ancient History>