Cyrus cylinder
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The Cyrus Cylinder is an artifact of the Persian Empire, consisting of a declaration inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform on a clay barrel. Upon his taking of Babylon, Cyrus the Great issued the declaration, containing an account of his victories and merciful acts, as well as a documentation of his royal lineage. It was discovered in 1879 by the Assyrian scholar Hormuzd Rassam in the Marduk temple of Babylon, and today is kept in the British Museum [1].
The declaration is sometimes described as the "first charter of human rights" [2], mainly due to the mention of the return of statues of gods that had been "taken captive" by Babylonian kings. This has been connected with the return of the Jewish exiles in Babylonia (although they are not mentioned), and has been seen as an offer of freedom of religion. It reflects a long tradition in Mesopotamia where, from as early as the third millennium BC, kings began their reigns with declarations of reforms, though this declaration is the first to offer freedom of religion and abolishment of slavery. [1]
A replica of the cylinder is kept at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City in the second floor hallway, between the Security Council and the Economic and Social Council chambers.
[edit] Translations
- Rogers, Robert William: Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament (1912), New York, Eaton & Mains. Online: Translation and transliteration.
- Pritchard, James B. (ed.): Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (ANET) (1950, 1955, 1969). Tranlation by A. L. Oppenheim. Online: Tranlation based on ANET.
- Brosius, Maria (ed.): The Persian Empire from Cyrus II to Artaxerxes I (2000), London Association of Classical Teachers (LACT) 16, London.
[edit] Notes
- ^ Muhammad Dandamaev: "The Cyrus Cylinder", in Encyclopedia Iranica, p. 521.
- ^ Forgotten Empire at the British Museum
