Ashur-etil-ilani ascended the throne after the death of his father Ashurbanipal in 631 BC.' A land grant from Ashur-etil-ilani to his "rab shaqi" (a general serving him since he was a young boy) Sin-shumu-lishir suggests that Ashurbanipal died a natural death.' As in many other successions in Assyrian history, Ashur-etil-ilani's rise to the Assyrian throne was initially met with opposition and unrest.' The same land grant to Sin-shumu-lishir references the actions of an Assyrian official called Nabu-rihtu-usur who with the help of another official, Sin-shar-ibni, attempted to usurp the Assyrian throne. Sin-shum-lishir probably assisted the king with stopping Nabu-rihtu-usur and Sin-shar-ibni.' As no sources indicate the opposite, the conspiracy appears to have been crushed relatively quickly.' Excavations at Nineveh from the time around Ashurbanipal's death show fire damage, indicating that the plot perhaps resulted in some violence and unrest within the capital itself.'