by Ancient Persian (Unknown), -539
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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