description Cyrus Cylinder Overview
The Cyrus Cylinder is an ancient Persian artifact created in 539 BC. It’s a clay cylinder inscribed with a declaration by King Cyrus the Great following his conquest of Babylon. The inscription details his policies of allowing exiled peoples to return home and restoring temples. This relic offers valuable insight into Achaemenid imperial administration and is studied by historians, archaeologists, and those interested in early legal codes and intercultural relations.
help Cyrus Cylinder FAQ
What does the Cyrus Cylinder inscription actually say about King Cyrus's policies toward conquered peoples?
The Cyrus Cylinder inscription records that after Cyrus the Great captured Babylon in 539 BC, he allowed exiled peoples to return to their homelands and restored their religious sanctuaries. The text specifically mentions the return of cult statues to their original temples and presents Cyrus as a divinely chosen ruler who was welcomed by the Babylonian god Marduk, though scholars note this was standard Mesopotamian royal propaganda.
Where is the Cyrus Cylinder currently housed and where was it discovered?
The Cyrus Cylinder is part of the collection of the British Museum in London, where it has been housed since its discovery. It was found in 1879 during a British Museum excavation at Babylon (in modern-day Iraq) led by the Assyriologist Hormuzd Rassam.
Why is the Cyrus Cylinder sometimes called the world's first declaration of human rights?
The Cyrus Cylinder has been popularly described as an ancient charter of human rights because of its language about religious tolerance, the restoration of displaced peoples, and freedom of worship. The Iranian government under the Shah formally promoted this interpretation in the 1970s, though many historians and Assyriologists caution that applying modern human rights concepts to a 6th-century BC Babylonian propaganda text is anachronistic.
How old is the Cyrus Cylinder and what is it made of?
The Cyrus Cylinder was created in 539 BC, making it approximately 2,500 years old. It is a barrel-shaped baked clay cylinder measuring about 22.5 centimeters (8.9 inches) long, inscribed in Akkadian cuneiform script, which was the standard administrative and scholarly language of Mesopotamia at that time.
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