the CyRus Cylinder
The Cyrus cylinder is called “the first declaration of human rights.” It is not very big, it is about 23cm long and 10cm wide. The text on the cylinder is a declaration about the Iran/Iraq war in 539 B.C. in the name of the Achaemenid king Cyrus the Great, resulting in the conquest of Babylon in 539. It says that Cyrus as a king from a lineage of kings. The cylinder denounces the previous king of Babylon, and also talks about peace. The Cyrus cylinder also talks about how the god of Babylon has chosen Cyrus to make better the lives of the Babylonians. It talks about Cyrus’s efforts in repatriating displaced people (trying to bring citizens back home) and restoring temples across Mesopotamia, giving them the freedom to worship the god of their choice. It tells the story of letting people live their lives even after their country had been conquered. This was something that was not heard of at the time. In the ancient world and many years after if you had conquered a new land it would mean that you owned the land and its people.
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