Cyrus Cylinder
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 Babylonian slaves being freed (although slavery as an institution continued to remain an integral part of Persian society [3]). In fact, the declaration reflects a much earlier Mesopotamian tradition where new reigns were inaugurated with declarations of reforms [4].
A replica of the cylinder is kept at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.
See also
- Cyrus the Great, Founder of Persian Empire.
- Darius I, King of Persia
- Naqsh-e Rustam inscription
Notes
- ^ Antigoni Zournatzi: "The Cyrus Cylinder", in Encyclopedia Iranica, p. 521.
- ^ Forgotten Empire at the British Museum
- ^ Persian society in the time of Darius and Xerxes
- ^ Cyrus Cylinder: A declaration of good kingship British Museum website.