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The Cyrus Cylinder, also known as the ‘Cyrus the Great Cylinder’, is an artifact consisting of a declaration issued by the emperor Cyrus the Great of Persia inscribed in Babylonian (Akkadian) cuneiform on a clay cylinder.

It was discovered in 1879 by the Assyro-British archaeologist Hormuzd Rassam in the foundations of the Esagila (i.e., the Marduk temple of Babylon) and is kept today in the British Museum in London. According to a recent report, directors of British Museum and National Museum of Iran in Tehran have reached an agreement whereby the Cyrus Cylinder will be displayed in National Museum of Iran. The Cyrus Cylinder is considered by some as the world’s first charter of human rights.

Historical context

On October 12 (Julian calendar; October 7 by the Gregorian calendar) 539 BC, Persian troops entered the city of Babylon, without meeting resistance. On October 29, Cyrus himself entered the city, assuming the titles of "king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four corners of the world". The Cyrus Cylinder was placed under the walls of Babylon as a foundation deposit, following a long Babylonian tradition.

Description and content

The text consists of two fragments, known as "A" (lines: 1-35, measures: 23 x 8 cm) and "B" (36-45, 8,6 x 5,6 cm). "A" has always been in the British Museum; "B" had been kept at Yale University, but has been transferred to the British Museum.

What follows is a translation of the Cyrus cylinder, paraphrased from “The Ancient Near East, Volume I: An Anthology of Pictures”, edited by James B. Pritchard:

(one line destroyed)

… ims (of the world)… a weakling has been installed as the enu of his country; tations he ordered to place upon them. A replica of the temple Esagila he has … for Ur and the other sacred cities inappropriate rituals … daily he did blabber . He (furthermore) interrupted in a fiendish way the regular offerings, he did … he established within the sacred cities. The worship of Marduk, the king of the gods, he ed into abomination, daily he used to do evil against his (i.e. Marduk’s) city … He its s with corvee-work (lit. a toke) without relief, he ruined them all.

Upon their complaints the lord of the gods became terribly angry and their region, (also) the (other) gods living among them left their mansions, wroth that he had brought (them) into Babylon. (but) Marduk … on account of (the fact that) the sanctuaries of all their settlements were in ruins and the inhabitants of Sumer and Akkad had become like (living) dead, turned back (his countenance) an and he had mercy (upon them). He scanned and looked (through) all the countries, searching for a righteous ruler willing to lead him (i.e. Marduk) (in the annual procession). (Then) he pronounced the name of Cyrus, king of Anshan, declared him to be(come) the ruler of all the world. He made the Guti country and all the Manda-hordes bow in submission to his (i.e. Cyrus’) feet. And he (Cyrus) did always endeavor to treat according the justice the black-headed whom he (Marduk) had made him conquer. Marduk, the great lord, a protector of his people/worshipers, beheld with pleasure his (i.e. Cyrus’) good deeds and his upright mind (and therefore) ordered him to march against his city Babylon. He made him set out on the road to Babylon going at his side like a real friend. His widespread troops – their number, like that of the water of a river, could not be established – strolled along, their weapons packed away. Without any battle, he made him enter his town Babylon, sparing Babylon any calamity. He delivered into his (i.e. Cyrus’) hands Nabonidus, the king who did not worship him (i.e. Marduk). All the inhabitants of Sumer and Akkad, princes and governors (included), bowed to him (Cyrus) and kissed his feet, jubilant that he (had received) the kingship, and with shining faces. Happily they greeted him as a master through whose help they had come (again) to life from death (and) had all been spared damage and disaster, and they worshiped his (very) name.

I am Cyrus, king of the world, great king, legitimate king, king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four riims (of the earth), son of Cambyses, great king, king of Anshan, grand-son of Cyrus, great king, king of Anshan, descendant of Teispes, great king, king of Anshan, of a family (which) always (exercised) kingship; whose rule Bel and Nebo love, whom they want as king to please their hearts.

When I entered Babylon as a friend and (when) I established the seat of government in the palace of the ruler under jubilation and rejoicing, Marduk, the great lord the magnanimous inhabitants of Babylon , and I was daily endeavoring to worship him. My numerous troops walked around in Babylon in peace, I did not allow anybody to terrorize (any place) of the and Akkad. I strove for peace in Babylon and in all his (other) sacred cities. As to the inhabitants of Babylon, against the will of the gods the corvee (lit.: yoke] which was against their (social) standing. I brought relief to their dilapidated housing, putting (thus) an end to their (main) complaints. Marduk, the great lord, was well pleased with my deeds and sent friendly blessings to myself, Cyrus, the king who worships him, to Cambyses, my son, the offspring of loins, as well as to all my troops, and we all his great joyously, standing before him in peace.

All the kings of the entire world from the Upper to the Lower Sea, those who are seated in throne rooms, (those who) live in other all the kings of the West land living in tents, brought their heavy tributes and kissed my feet in Babylon. (As to the region) from … as far as Ashur and Susa, Agade, Eshnunna, the towns of Zamban, Me-Turnu, Der as well as the region of the Gutians, I returned to (these) sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the sanctuaries of which have been ruins for a long time, the images which (used) to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries. I (also) gathered all their former inhabitants and returned (to them) their habitations. Furthermore, I resettled upon the command of Marduk, the great lord, all the gods of Sumer and Akkard whom Nabonidus has brought into Babylon to the anger of the lord of the gods, unharmed, in their (former) chapels, the places which made them happy.

May all the gods whom I have resettled in their sacred cities ask Bel and Nebo for a long life for me and may they recommend me (to him); to Marduk, my lord, they may say this: “Cyrus, the king who worships you, and Cambyses, his son, …” … all of them I settled in a peaceful place … ducks and doves, …. I endeavored to fortify/repair their dwelling places…

(six lines destroyed)

In summary, the text begins by listing the crimes of Nabonidus, a king of Babylon, which included desecration of the temples of the gods and the imposition of forced labor ("corvee-work") upon the populace. The chief god of Babylon, Marduk, is highly displeased by Nabonidus' cruelties, and so the god calls upon a foreign king, Cyrus of the Persians, to conquer Babylon and become its new king with the god's divine blessing.

The Cylinder as a charter of human rights

The Cyrus Cylinder was asserted to be the world’s first charter of human rights by Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi to mark the occasion of the 2,500 year celebration of Iran's monarchy in 1971. Passages in the text have been interpreted as expressing Cyrus’ respect for humanity, and as promoting a form of religious tolerance and freedom, "predating the Magna Carta by more than one millennium". A replica of the cylinder was handed over by the Shah's twin sister Ashraf Pahlavi to then UN Secretary General Sithu U Thant on October 14, 1971 and has since then been 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.. The text was translated into all official U.N. languages in 1971, and a fake translation - affirming, among other things, the right to self-determination - has spread and even been quoted by Shirin Ebadi when she accepted the Nobel Peace Prize in 2003.

However, a number of scholars now disagree with the concept of the cylinder as a charter of human rights, and have argued that such a concept is alien to the historical context. They point at the fact that Mesopotamia has a long tradition, dating back to the third millennium BC, of kings making similar declarations when beginning their reigns. The Cyrus Cylinder is thus interpreted as reflecting royal propaganda.

Biblical significance

The Bible records that some Jews returned to their homeland from Babylon, where they had been settled by Nebuchadrezzar, to rebuild the temple following an edict from Cyrus (Ezra 1. 1-4). This appears to be confirmed by the Cyrus Cylinder:

(30) ... From to Aššur and (from) Susa, (31) Agade, Ešnunna, Zamban, Me-Turnu, Der, as far as the region of Gutium, the sacred centers on the other side of the Tigris, whose sanctuaries had been abandoned for a long time, (32) I returned the images of the gods, who had resided there , to their places and I let them dwell in eternal abodes. I gathered all their inhabitants and returned to them their dwellings.

Although it does not mention Judah or the Jews, the last phrase of line 32 has been interpreted as a reference to Cyrus' policy of allowing deportees to return to their original lands. However, this view has been challenged by Amelie Kuhrt, who argued that the people referred to are not deportees but people associated with the returned god images' cult. Diana Edelman has pointed out chronological difficulties that arise when we accept that the Jews returned during the reign of Cyrus, although it has been argued that she based her conclusions on questionable treatments of genealogical lists and unsubstantiated links between various figures in the early Persian period

Editions and translations

The latest edition of the Akkadian language text is:

• Hanspeter Schaudig, Die Inschriften Nabonids von Babylon und Kyros' des Großen, samt den in ihrem Umfeld entstandenen Tendenzschriften. Textausgabe und Grammatik. (2001 Münster, Ugarit-Verlag) (online with English translation based on Cogan 2003)

Older translations and transliterations:

• Rawlinson, H.G., & Th.G. Pinches, A Selection from the Miscellaneous Inscriptions of Assyria and Babylonia (1884, 1909 London: fragment A only)).
• Rogers, Robert William: Cuneiform Parallels to the Old Testament (1912), New York, Eaton & Mains (Online: fragment A only).
• Pritchard, James B. (ed.): Ancient Near Eastern Texts Relating to the Old Testament (ANET) (1950, 1955, 1969). Translation by A. L. Oppenheim. (fragment A and B).
• P.-R. Berger, "Der Kyros-Zylinder mit dem Susatzfragment BIN II Nr.32 und die akkidischen Personennamen im Danielbuch" in: Zeitschrift für Assyriologie 65 (1975) 192-234
• Mordechai Cogan's translation, in W.H. Hallo and K.L. Younger, The Context of Scripture vol. II, Monumental Inscriptions from the Biblical World (2003, Leiden and Boston) (online with Schaudig's translitaration)
• Brosius, Maria (ed.): The Persian Empire from Cyrus II to Artaxerxes I (2000, London Association of Classical Teachers (LACT) 16, London.

Notes

1. Cultural Heritage News Agency, Cyrus Cylinder to be returned to Iran, Tehran, June 25, 2008, .
2. Cyrus Cylinder: a Declaration of Good Kingship The British Museum.
3. "The Ancient Near East, Volume I: An Anthology of Texts and Pictures". Vol. 1. Ed. James B. Pritchard. Princeton University Press, 1973.
4. ^ MacGregor, Neil (2006-07-24). "The whole world in our hands". The Guardian. Retrieved 2008-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
5. ^ Schulz, Matthias (2008-07-15). "UN Treasure Honors Persian Despot". Der Spiegel online. Retrieved 2008-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "Spiegel" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
6. Abbas Milani. Lost Wisdom. 2004. Mage Publishers. p.12. ISBN 0934211906
7. human rights in the world: An Introduction to the Study of the International ...by Arthur Henry Robertson, J. G. Merrills - Political Science - 1996 - Page7
8. Shadows in the Desert: Ancient Persia at War - Page 44 by Kaveh Farrokh - History - 2007 - 320 pages
9. The Evolution of International Human Rights: Visions Seen - Page 11 by Paul Gordon Lauren - Political Science - 2003 - 397 pages
10. Xenophon's cyrus the great: The Arts of Leadership and War - Page xiii by Xenophon, Larry Hedrick - History - 2007 - 320 pages
11. Breakthrough!: The Bible for Young Catholics - Page 567 by Saint Mary's Press, Brian Singer-Towns - Juvenile Nonfiction - 2006 - 1900 pages
12. United Nations Press Release 14 October 1971 (SG/SM/1553/HQ263)
13. de Quetteville, Harry (2008-07-21). "Cyrus cylinder's ancient bill of rights 'is just propaganda'". The Daily Telegraph online. Retrieved 2008-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
14. ^ Lendering, Jona (2007-01-28). "The Cyrus Cylinder". livius.org. Retrieved 2008-07-30. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |date= (help) Cite error: The named reference "livius" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
15. Foucart, Stéphane (2007-08-19). "Cyrus le taiseux". Le Monde. Retrieved 2008-07-30. {{cite news}}: Check date values in: |date= (help)
16. A. Kuhrt "The Cyrus Cylinder and Achaemenid imperial policy" in Journal of Studies of the Old Testament 25 pp. 83-97; R.J. van der Spek, "Did Cyrus the Great introduce a new policy towards subdued nations? Cyrus in Assyrian perspective" in Persica 10 pp. 273-285; M. Dandamaev A Political History of the Achaemenid Empire, pp. 52-53 (with previous bibliography); P.-A. Beaulieu, "An Episode in the Fall of Babylon to the Persians", JNES vol. 52 n. 4 Oct. 1993. p. 243.; J. Wiesehöfer, Ancient Persia from 550 BC to 650 AD, 2006 1996 , p. 82; P. Briant, From Cyrus to Alexander, pp. 43-43, (with previous bibliography in p. 884).
17. British Museum, The Cyrus Cylinder
18. Dandamaev, "Cyrus II (the Great)", p. 319, in Encyclopaedia Iranica.
19. Older translations used to give "Nineveh" instead of "". The relevant passage is fragmentary, but I. Finkel has recently concluded that it is impossible to interpret it as "Nineveh" (I. Finkel, "No Nineveh in the Cyrus Cylinder", in NABU 1997 .).
20. Cyrus Cylinder translation, adapted from Schaudig 2001.
21. A. Kuhrt, "The Cyrus Cylinder and Achaemenid Imperial Policy", p. 86-87, in Journal for the Study of the Old Testament 25 (1983).
22. Diana Edelman, The Origins of the Second Temple: Persian Imperial Policy and the Rebuilding of Jerusalem (2005)
23. Journal of Hebrew Scriptures - Volume 7 (2007) - Review by Mark J. Boda

• Middle Eastern objects in the British Museum
• Archaeology of the Achaemenid Empire
• History of Iran