Cyrus Cylinder
by Ancient Persian (Unknown), -539
Artwork Details
Details
- Year
- -539
- Medium
- Baked clay
- Size
- 22.9 cm × 10 cm (9 × 4 in)
Cite or Embed This Work
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The Cyrus Cylinder is a clay document from 539 BCE recording the conquest of Babylon by Cyrus the Great of Persia. While the cylinder describes typical ancient propaganda, its account of allowing exiled peoples to return home has earned it fame as a proto-declaration of human rights.
Cyrus declares he restored temples and allowed deported gods and peoples to return to their homelands. This policy benefited the Jewish exiles, whose return is recorded in the Bible. The cylinder was discovered at Babylon in 1879. The British Museum acquired it and later Iran loaned it briefly for display in Tehran. The United Nations has a replica, and the cylinder appears on Iranian passports as a symbol of Persian tolerance.
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About Cyrus Cylinder
The cylinder records Cyrus's conquest of Babylon and his policy of religious tolerance. He claims to have restored temples and allowed exiled peoples to return home. This may have enabled the Jewish return from Babylonian exile.
Some call it the first declaration of human rights, but scholars debate this. The text follows conventions of ancient royal propaganda. However, its policy of religious tolerance was unusual for its time.
The cylinder was discovered at Babylon in 1879 during excavations by Hormuzd Rassam. It was buried in the foundations of a city wall, a common practice for dedicatory texts in ancient Mesopotamia.
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