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Special Collection: Cyrus Cylinder

Cyrus Cylinder in Panitza Library

  • Cyrus Cylinder has been called the First human rights proclamation by some scholars.
  • The cylinder dates from the 6th century B.C. It has been discovered in the ruins of Babylon in Mesopotamia (now Iraq) in 1879.
  • The original is an ancient clay cylinder which is now in the British Museum.
  • The Cylinder records the conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C. by the Persian king Cyrus the Great who had been known as a noble ruler.
  • He had a deep respect for human rights and wanted peaceful relations with other nations.
  • This is a work of art by Nasser Ovissi, an Iranian artist, sculptor and goldsmith.[1]
  • On the back of the Cylinder there is an excerpt of text from the Cyrus Cylinder printed in English.[2]
  • Included is a small booklet written in both Farsi and English stating the history of the cylinder.

                     

Cyrus the Great

The victorious Cyrus is portrayed as having been chosen by the chief Babylonian god Marduk to restore peace and order to the Babylonians. The text states that Cyrus was welcomed by the people of Babylon as their new ruler and entered the city in peace.[6]

                   

Front view of a barrel-shaped clay cylinder

  • The Cyrus Cylinder is a barrel-shaped cylinder of baked clay measuring 22.5 centimetres (8.9 in) by 10 centimetres (3.9 in) at its maximum diameter.[3]
  • It was created in several stages around a cone-shaped core of clay within which there are large grey stone inclusions.

Rear view of a barrel-shaped clay cylinder

It was built up with extra layers of clay to give it a cylindrical shape before a fine surface slip of clay was added to the outer layer, on which the text is inscribed.It was excavated in several fragments, having apparently broken apart in antiquity.[4] Today it exists in two main fragments, known as "A" and "B", which were reunited in 1972

Barrel cylinder of Cyrus (transcription)

The Cylinder's text has traditionally been seen by biblical scholars as  a sign of Cyrus's relatively enlightened approach towards cultural and religious diversity. The text on the Cylinder praises Cyrus, sets out his genealogy and portrays him as a king from a line of kings.[5]

Bibliography

[1] [2] Cyrus Cylinder - Gallery Ovissi. Images

[3] "The Cyrus Cylinder (British Museum database)". Retrieved 19 June 2010. Image by Prioryman - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19669413

[4] [5] [6] Wikipedia. Cyrus Cylinder.  Image by Prioryman - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=19669420