Kyros-Zylinder
Ein Tonzylinder aus der Zeit Kyros' des Großen nach der Eroberung Babylons, der die Rückkehr der Verbannten und die Achtung lokaler Kulte verkündet; mitunter als 'erste Charta der Menschenrechte' bezeichnet — eine Deutung, die viele Forscher für anachronistisch halten.
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- Language & script
- Akkadian (Babylonian), cuneiform
- Date
- c. 539 BCE
- Discovery
- 1879, Hormuzd Rassam
- Location
- British Museum
Details
The Cyrus Cylinder is a clay cylinder from the Achaemenid period bearing a text in cuneiform script and the Akkadian (Babylonian) language in the name of Cyrus the Great. It was created as a commemorative foundation deposit after Cyrus's conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE, discovered in 1879 by Hormuzd Rassam in the ruins of Babylon (modern Iraq), and is now held in the British Museum. Its text praises Cyrus over Nabonidus, the previous king of Babylon, and speaks of returning deported peoples and allowing them to worship their gods freely. Although some have called it the 'first charter of human rights,' many scholars regard that reading as anachronistic, placing it within the established tradition of Mesopotamian royal proclamations. The Cyrus Cylinder has become a potent symbol of the heritage of ancient Iran. (Contested point: the 'human rights' label is disputed.)
Verwandte Einträge
Quellen
- British Museum — 'The Cyrus Cylinder'
- Encyclopaedia Iranica — 'Cyrus Cylinder'
- I. Finkel (ed.), 'The Cyrus Cylinder'