Cyrus Cylinder
A clay cylinder from the time of Cyrus the Great after the conquest of Babylon, proclaiming the return of exiles and respect for local cults; sometimes called the 'first charter of human rights', a label many scholars consider anachronistic.
Read in context →At a glance
- Language & script
- Akkadian (Babylonian), cuneiform
- Date
- c. 539 BCE
- Discovery
- 1879, Hormuzd Rassam
- Location
- British Museum
Detail
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.)
Related entities
Sources
- British Museum — 'The Cyrus Cylinder'
- Encyclopaedia Iranica — 'Cyrus Cylinder'
- I. Finkel (ed.), 'The Cyrus Cylinder'