The interest of the ancient Iraqi kings in the past
The ancient Iraqi kings were interested in the past and its effects. In the Neo-Assyrian era, Sargon II was interested in everything related to the founder of the Akkadian state, his partner in name, Sargon of Akkad. So he wrote a tablet in which he mentioned the extension of the borders of Sargon of Akkad’s empire so that everyone could see it and know the extension of his empire identical to the empire of Sargon I, whom he had always cherished. The ancient Iraqis considered him one of the distinguished leadership figures, and he built a capital like him and called it Dur Sharukin, meaning the city of Sargon.
As for Sennacherib, he linked his lineage to the ancient heroes of Iraq, whom we know a lot about and their extraordinary deeds in myths and epics, such as Gilgamesh and his friend Enkidu and Khumba. Esarhaddon and his son Ashurbanipal were fond of collecting ancient antiquities. They sent messengers to collect everything related to the past.
As for the Chaldean king Nabonidus, king of the New Babylonian state, he was interested in the past and tried to revive the rituals of worship of the god Sin, the moon god, in his famous temples of Baur, Harran, and Taima. He was fond of collecting antiquities and was able to find an inscription belonging to King Naram-Sin, the last powerful king of the Akkadian state.
Source: Al-Wajeez in the History of Ancient Iraq, Dr. Abdul Qader Al Sheikhly