What is the Cyrus Cylinder?

Answer 1

Cyrus the Great, conquered Babylon in 539 BC and what he did after, caused the emergence of the Cyrus Cylinder. The content of the Cylinder is considered the "First Declaration of Human Rights" in history. Although issuing cylinders by the conquerors was pretty normal at that era, the Cylinder of Cyrus is completely different to the other ones, as it puts an end to millennia of bloodshed, violence and inhumanity.

It was made by the Babylonians themselves as for their gratefulness to Cyrus's favor upon them. Cyrus freed all the slaves, repatriated the captives including the Jewish exiles, rebuilt the damaged temples and allowed all religions, cultures and traditions to be freely practiced by the people.

For example; the word "Peace" is repeated three (four by some accounts) times in "Cyrus Cylinder", which by itself is a novel word for the time; it has no record of usage in other cylinders of the same tradition, in which there was no hint of mercy or compassion. Almost all other cylinders proudly load their text by describing the amount of violence exerted by the conquerors; this is indeed one of the aspects that make "Cyrus Cylinder" different to the others; below is part of Cylinder's translation from the British Museum website;Special:Wysiwyg

"When I went as harbinger of peace i[nt]o Babylon, I founded my sovereign residence within the palace amid celebration and rejoicing... My vast troops were marching peaceably in Babylon, and the whole of [Sumer] and Akkad had nothing to fear... and I have enabled all the lands to live in peace."

Then, there is the Cylinder's innovative attention to the Human values that is unique to itself, such as:

Liberation of Slaves; "As for the population of Babylon [..., w]ho as if without div[ine intention] had endured a yoke not decreed for them, I soothed their weariness; I freed them from their bonds."

Repatriation; "I collected together all of their people and returned them to their settlements."

Freedom of Worship; "From [Shuanna] I sent back to their places to the city of Ashur and Susa, Akkad, the land of Eshnunna, the city of Zamban, the city of Meturnu, Der, as far as the border of the land of Guti - the sanctuaries across the river Tigris - whose shrines had earlier become dilapidated, the gods who lived therein, and made permanent sanctuaries for them... and the gods of the land of Sumer and Akkad which Nabonidus -- to the fury of the lord of the gods -- had brought into Shuanna, at the command of Marduk, the great lord, I returned them unharmed to their cells, in the sanctuaries that make them happy. May all the gods that I returned to their sanctuaries, every day before Bel and Nabu, ask for a long life for me, and mention my good deeds."

Special:Wysiwyghttp://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/c/cyrus_cylinder_-_translation.aspx

Answer 2

Cyrus the Great, conquered the Babylon in 539 BC and what he did caused the emergence of the Cyrus Cylinder, Although issuing cylinders by the conquerors was pretty normal at that time, but the Cylinder of Cyrus is completely different to the other ones.

It was made by the Babylonians themselves as for their gratefulness to Cyrus's favor upon them. Cyrus freed all the slaves, repatriated the captives including the Jewish exiles, rebuilt the damaged temples and allowed all religions and traditions to be freely practiced by people.

For example; the word "Peace" is repeated three (four by some accounts) times in "Cyrus Cylinder", which by itself is a novel word for the time; it has no record of usage in other cylinders of the same tradition, in which there was no hint of mercy or compassion. Almost all other cylinders proudly load their text by describing the amount of violence exerted by the conquerors; this is indeed one of the aspects that make "Cyrus Cylinder" different to the others; below is part of Cylinder's translation from the British Museum website;Special:Wysiwyg

"When I went as harbinger of peace i[nt]o Babylon, I founded my sovereign residence within the palace amid celebration and rejoicing... My vast troops were marching peaceably in Babylon, and the whole of [Sumer] and Akkad had nothing to fear... and I have enabled all the lands to live in peace."

Then, there is the Cylinder's innovative attention to the Human values that is unique to itself, such as:

Liberation of Slaves; "As for the population of Babylon [..., w]ho as if without div[ine intention] had endured a yoke not decreed for them, I soothed their weariness; I freed them from their bonds."

Repatriation; "I collected together all of their people and returned them to their settlements."

Freedom of Worship; "From [Shuanna] I sent back to their places to the city of Ashur and Susa, Akkad, the land of Eshnunna, the city of Zamban, the city of Meturnu, Der, as far as the border of the land of Guti - the sanctuaries across the river Tigris - whose shrines had earlier become dilapidated, the gods who lived therein, and made permanent sanctuaries for them... and the gods of the land of Sumer and Akkad which Nabonidus -- to the fury of the lord of the gods -- had brought into Shuanna, at the command of Marduk, the great lord, I returned them unharmed to their cells, in the sanctuaries that make them happy. May all the gods that I returned to their sanctuaries, every day before Bel and Nabu, ask for a long life for me, and mention my good deeds."

Special:Wysiwyghttp://www.britishmuseum.org/explore/highlights/article_index/c/cyrus_cylinder_-_translation.aspx

Answer 3

Cyrus Cylinder was created in 1879-03.