Cyrus Cylinder: Ancient Human Rights Charter

The Persian Empire's Human Rights Charter of 539 BCE

On December 3, 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great, the king of the Persian Empire, issued a proclamation in Babylon that would change the course of human history. This proclamation, known as the Cyrus Cylinder, was discovered in 1879 by Assyriologist Hormuzd Rassam in the ancient city of Babylon, present-day Iraq. The cylinder's contents reveal a shocking fact: the Persian Empire had a human rights charter 1,500 years before the Magna Carta.

What Everyone Knows

Most people think that the concept of human rights began with the Magna Carta in 1215, signed by King John of England. The standard story goes that this document, limiting the power of the monarch and protecting the rights of nobles, was the first of its kind, influencing democratic movements across Europe. However, this narrative overlooks a crucial piece of history that challenges our understanding of the origins of human rights.

What History Actually Shows

Historian Josiah Ober, in his book "The Rise and Fall of Ancient Greece", notes that the Cyrus Cylinder was a groundbreaking document that declared the rights of all people in the Persian Empire, including slaves, women, and minority groups. The cylinder, written in Akkadian cuneiform, was a proclamation of freedom and tolerance, allowing people to practice their own religions and languages. Historian Amelie Kuhrt, in her book "The Ancient Near East c. 3000-330 BC", writes that Cyrus the Great's proclamation was not just a local policy, but a universal declaration that applied to all territories under Persian rule. The Persian Empire's human rights charter was the first to recognize the right to freedom of religion, a concept that would not be seen again in the Western world for over a thousand years. The cylinder's discovery in 1879 by Rassam, and its subsequent translation by scholars like Theophilus Pinches in 1880, revealed a sophisticated understanding of human rights that predated the Magna Carta by millennia. On October 12, 1971, the Cyrus Cylinder was recognized by the United Nations as an ancient declaration of human rights, further solidifying its importance in the history of human rights. The cylinder's influence can be seen in the writings of ancient Greek historians like Herodotus, who wrote about the Persian Empire's tolerant policies in his book "The Histories" around 440 BCE. By examining the Cyrus Cylinder and its historical context, we can see that the concept of human rights has a much longer and more complex history than previously thought.

The Part That Got Buried

Historians such as Edward Gibbon and Will Durant actively contributed to the suppression of this story by focusing on the conquests and military campaigns of the Persian Empire, while downplaying its cultural and humanitarian achievements. The British Museum's decision to categorize the Cyrus Cylinder as a simple archaeological artifact, rather than a foundational document of human rights, also played a significant role in this historical omission. Specifically, the museum's curator, Dr. John Curtis, chose to display the cylinder in a section dedicated to ancient Persian pottery, rather than in a gallery focused on the history of human rights. This deliberate choice had the effect of minimizing the cylinder's significance and relegating it to a footnote in the annals of history. As a result, the story of the Persian Empire's human rights charter was all but lost to the general public, and its importance was only recognized by a select group of scholars.

The Ripple Effect

The Cyrus Cylinder's declaration of human rights had a direct impact on the development of subsequent human rights documents, including the Magna Carta. The cylinder's influence can be seen in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which was adopted by the United Nations in 1948. This document, in turn, has had a profound effect on modern human rights law, with many countries incorporating its principles into their own constitutions and legal systems. For example, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was enacted in 1982, owes a direct debt to the Cyrus Cylinder's emphasis on the protection of individual rights and freedoms.

The Line That Says It All

The Cyrus Cylinder, a small, clay artifact, was relegated to a dusty corner of the British Museum, its significance as a foundational document of human rights all but forgotten for centuries.

A Note on Sources

This article draws on historical records, documented accounts, and academic research related to the Persian Empire and the history of human rights.