A new beginning for the Middle East: The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia

Summary

The Cyrus Cylinder, a clay artifact inscribed with cuneiform script, narrates the ancient Persian Empire's history under Cyrus the Great. It recounts Cyrus's conquests, his benevolent rule marked by the release of captives, and the significant return of the Jewish people to Jerusalem. The cylinder has evolved in meaning over time, influencing political thought from the Renaissance to America's founding, and symbolizing unity and diversity in Iran's complex history.

Takeaways

• 📜 The Cyrus Cylinder is a 2,500-year-old clay object inscribed with cuneiform script, offering a historical account of Cyrus the Great's reign.
• 🌟 Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire, conquered Babylon and other regions, establishing a superpower in the ancient world.
• 🏛️ The Cylinder's inscriptions, written in Babylonian language and cuneiform script, highlight Cyrus's virtues and reasons for invading Babylon.
• 🔓 After the conquest of Babylon, Cyrus released captives, including the Jews, allowing them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, a pivotal moment in Jewish history.
• 📚 The Cylinder's discovery in 1879 sparked discussions on the reliability of scripture, challenging the narrative presented in the Hebrew Bible.
• 🏺 The Cylinder's message was used by the Shah of Iran in 1971 to symbolize a return to a grand Persian tradition, influencing the country's historical narrative.
• 🌐 The Cylinder represents the Persian Empire's tolerance and diversity, allowing various cultures, languages, and faiths to coexist within its vast territories.
• 💰 The Persian Empire introduced new practices like coinage and administrative techniques to manage its extensive domain, setting precedents for future empires.
• 🏰 The Cylinder's significance extends to its role in shaping the concept of the 'Middle East,' reflecting the region's historical and cultural diversity.
• 🔮 The Cylinder's various interpretations and uses throughout history demonstrate how objects can acquire different meanings across time, enriching our understanding of the past.

Q & A

What is the significance of the Cyrus Cylinder?

The Cyrus Cylinder is significant because it's an ancient artifact that provides a direct account of the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great, showcasing his policies of tolerance and the release of captives, which is a pivotal moment in Jewish history.

How old is the Cyrus Cylinder?

The Cyrus Cylinder is approximately two and a half thousand years old, dating back to the time of Cyrus the Great.

What materials and writing system were used on the Cyrus Cylinder?

The Cyrus Cylinder is made of clay and covered in cuneiform inscriptions, a writing system invented in Ancient Iraq before 3000 B.C.

Why is the Cyrus Cylinder written in the Babylonian language?

The Cyrus Cylinder was written in the Babylonian language because it was intended for a Babylonian audience, and it was written in a Semitic tongue related to Hebrew, Arabic, and Aramaic.

What does the Cyrus Cylinder reveal about Cyrus the Great's conquest of Babylon?

The Cyrus Cylinder reveals that Cyrus justified his invasion of Babylon by proclaiming his role as a liberator of captives, which was a significant act that resonated with the conquered people.

How did Cyrus the Great's actions after the conquest of Babylon impact the Jewish people?

Cyrus the Great's decision to release the captives, including the Jews, allowed them to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their temple, which was a transformative event in Jewish history.

What is the connection between the Cyrus Cylinder and the founding fathers of the United States?

The Cyrus Cylinder influenced the founding fathers of the United States through the works of Greek historian Xenophon, particularly his book 'Cyropaedia,' which presented Cyrus as a model ruler.

How did the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great and later Darius manage its vast diversity?

The Persian Empire allowed for a great diversity of habits, patterns, languages, and faiths to coexist, setting a precedent for managing an empire of vast cultural and ethnic diversity.

What innovations were introduced by the Persian Empire to administer its vast territories?

The Persian Empire introduced administrative innovations such as the use of cuneiform for record-keeping, the adoption of Lydian coinage, and the development of a diverse monetary system including the gold daric and silver siglos.

How has the Cyrus Cylinder been reinterpreted in modern times?

In modern times, the Cyrus Cylinder has been reinterpreted as a symbol of unity for Iranians, a reminder of their historical victories, and a focal point for discussions on Iran's identity and its role in the region.

What role did the Cyrus Cylinder play in the 1971 celebrations of the Persian monarchy?

In 1971, the Cyrus Cylinder was used as the official symbol of the celebrations marking the 2500th anniversary of the Persian monarchy, signifying a return to Iranian history and the Shah's attempt to position himself within that tradition.

Outlines

00:00

📜 The Legacy of Cyrus Cylinder

The paragraph discusses the enduring significance of objects like the Cyrus Cylinder, a clay artifact dating back 2,500 years. It highlights the Cylinder's historical context, originating from the Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great. The Cylinder, discovered in Babylon, is inscribed with cuneiform script in the Babylonian language, reflecting the empire's linguistic diversity. It details Cyrus's conquests, particularly his defeat of Babylon, and his proclamation of tolerance and the release of captives, including the Jews, allowing them to return to Jerusalem. This act is seen as a pivotal moment in Jewish history and is recorded on the Cylinder, which has since taken on various meanings across different generations.

05:04

🏺 The Impact and Influence of Cyrus the Great

This paragraph delves into the legacy of Cyrus the Great, emphasizing his reputation as a benevolent and tolerant ruler. It mentions the influence of Greek historian Xenophon's portrayal of Cyrus as an ideal ruler, which resonated with the founding fathers of the United States. The paragraph also explores the geographical extent of the Persian Empire, highlighting its administrative innovations like the use of cuneiform, the introduction of coinage, and the acceptance of cultural diversity. The Oxus treasure is introduced as an example of the empire's diplomatic gifts, and the paragraph touches on the religious practices of the Achaemenid period, suggesting a Zoroastrian influence.

10:04

🌟 The Cyrus Cylinder's Evolving Significance

The final paragraph examines the Cyrus Cylinder's evolving role in historical and contemporary discourse. It discusses the Cylinder's impact on 19th-century debates about the reliability of scripture, contrasting the Cylinder's account with that of the Hebrew Bible. The paragraph also describes how the Cylinder was used as a symbol by the Shah of Iran during the 2,500th anniversary of the Persian monarchy, and its subsequent reinterpretation by the Islamic Republic of Iran. The Cylinder's exhibition in Tehran in 2010 is highlighted as a unifying symbol for Iranians, sparking discussions about Iran's identity and its historical narratives. The paragraph concludes by suggesting the Cylinder's potential to influence future regional and global dynamics.

Keywords

💡Cyrus Cylinder

The Cyrus Cylinder is a small barrel-shaped clay object covered in cuneiform inscriptions, dating back about 2,500 years. It is significant because it was discovered in Babylon and is associated with Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire. The cylinder's inscriptions are in the Babylonian language and detail Cyrus's conquest of Babylon and his benevolent actions towards the conquered people, including the release of captives. This object is central to the video's theme as it symbolizes the enduring legacy of Cyrus's rule and its impact on different cultures and religions over time.

💡Cyrus the Great

Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire, which spanned from the Mediterranean to the Indus Valley. He is noted for his conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C. and for his relatively benevolent treatment of the conquered peoples, as recorded on the Cyrus Cylinder. His name is synonymous with the concept of a just and tolerant ruler, which is a key theme in the video. The video discusses how Cyrus's actions, as depicted on the cylinder, influenced later ideas of governance and religious tolerance.

💡Cuneiform

Cuneiform is one of the earliest systems of writing, invented in ancient Iraq before 3000 B.C. It is characterized by wedge-shaped marks made by pressing a stylus into clay. The script was used across various ancient cultures, including the Babylonians, and is the medium through which the Cyrus Cylinder's message was inscribed. The video explains the technique of cuneiform writing and how it was used to record the Cylinder's historical account, emphasizing the importance of this writing system in preserving the legacy of ancient empires.

💡Babylonian Empire

The Babylonian Empire was a powerful ancient civilization located in what is now modern-day Iraq. It was conquered by Cyrus the Great in 539 B.C., as mentioned in the video. The Babylonian language and script, which are Semitic and related to Hebrew and Arabic, were used for the inscriptions on the Cyrus Cylinder to communicate with the Babylonian people. The video uses the Babylonian Empire as a historical context to discuss the Cylinder's significance and the transition of power to the Persians.

💡Persian Empire

The Persian Empire, founded by Cyrus the Great, was one of the largest empires of the ancient world. It is highlighted in the video for its vast extent and its policy of tolerance towards the diverse cultures and religions within its borders. The empire's approach to governance and its influence on later ideas of empire are central to the video's narrative, with the Cyrus Cylinder serving as a testament to the empire's values and legacy.

💡Darius the Great

Darius the Great was a later king of the Persian Empire who succeeded Cyrus the Great and expanded the empire further. He is mentioned in the video for his administrative and financial reforms, including the introduction of a new coinage system. The video discusses Darius's role in solidifying the empire's structure and his influence on the region's economic and cultural development.

💡Zoroastrianism

Zoroastrianism is an ancient Persian religion that played a significant role in the Achaemenid Empire. It is named after the prophet Zarathustra and centered around the worship of Ahura Mazda as the creator of all. The video mentions Zoroastrianism in the context of the religious beliefs of the Achaemenid rulers, including Cyrus the Great, and how these beliefs may have influenced their governance and treatment of diverse cultures within the empire.

💡Coinage

Coinage refers to the minting and use of coins as a form of currency. The video discusses the adoption of Lydian coinage by Cyrus and the subsequent introduction of new coinage by Darius, including the gold daric and silver siglos. These coins not only facilitated trade and administration across the vast empire but also served as a means of cultural and political expression, with imagery reflecting the empire's values and power.

💡Achaemenid

The Achaemenid Empire was the first of the Persian Empires, founded by Cyrus the Great. The term is used in the video to describe the period and the cultural artifacts associated with this era, including the Cyrus Cylinder and the art and architecture of the empire. The Achaemenid period is highlighted for its innovations in administration, technology, and its approach to cultural diversity.

💡Middle East

The term 'Middle East' is used in the video to describe the geographical area that was once the heart of the Persian Empire. The video discusses how the concept of the Middle East as a region emerged from the historical context of the empire's influence. The term is significant in understanding the historical, cultural, and political connections between the countries in this area, as well as their interactions with the broader world.

💡Religious Tolerance

Religious tolerance is a theme that runs throughout the video, particularly in relation to Cyrus the Great's policies towards the conquered peoples and their faiths. The video emphasizes how Cyrus's approach to religious diversity within his empire set a precedent for later ideas of governance and the treatment of minority religions. This concept is illustrated through the Cylinder's account of Cyrus's actions and its implications for the Jewish people's return to Jerusalem.

Highlights

Objects we create can outlive us, acquiring richer meanings over time.

The Cyrus Cylinder is an extraordinary object with a history spanning over two and a half millennia.

Discovered in 1879, the Cylinder is a small barrel-shaped clay piece covered in cuneiform inscriptions.

The Cylinder's origins lie in the ancient Persian Empire under Cyrus the Great.

Cyrus the Great's conquests included defeating King Croesus of Lydia and the Babylonian Empire.

The Cylinder was written in Babylonian, a Semitic language, and used the cuneiform script.

Cyrus declared himself 'King of the World, the Great King, King of Babylon' on the Cylinder.

Cyrus is portrayed as a liberator, releasing captives and allowing the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem.

The Cylinder's discovery challenges the authenticity of biblical scripture and its account of Cyrus.

The Cylinder has been reinterpreted in modern times, symbolizing unity and historical continuity in Iran.

The Cylinder's message is a direct address from Cyrus, offering a Persian perspective on history.

The Cylinder has been used as a symbol of Iranian identity and its ancient traditions.

The Cylinder's significance is highlighted by its role in debates about Iran's historical and cultural identity.

The Cylinder's inscriptions provide a unique insight into the administration and diversity of the Persian Empire.

The Cylinder's historical importance is underscored by its influence on the founding principles of the United States.

The Cylinder's journey from a clay tablet to a symbol of national identity reflects its evolving meaning over time.

The Cylinder's display in Iran in 2010 sparked discussions on Iran's past, present, and future.

Transcripts

One of the great things about the objects we make is that they live longer than we do.

So they can have many different lives.

In every one of their lives, in every different generation,

they can acquire different meanings.

So the meaning can become richer as time goes on.

One of the most extraordinary objects in that regard,

is the so called Cyrus Cylinder.

It's about two and a half thousand years old,

it's a small barrel shaped piece of clay

covered in cuneiform inscriptions.

Discovered in 1879 by a British Museum expedition to Babylon, now in modern Iraq

But to understand the Cyrus Cylinder,

we need to start with the world from which it came.

A world in which Iran/Persia reigned supreme.

Our story begins five hundred and fifty years before Christ

with Cyrus the Great, founder of the Persian Empire.

After uniting the Persian and Median tribes,

Cyrus came into conflict with King Croesus of Lydia,

in what's now modern day Turkey.

He defeated Croesus in battle,

Cyrus then clashed with the powerful Babylonian empire to the West.

In 539 B.C. he besieged their capital Babylon,

it fell with barely a fight.

Persia under Cyrus became a superpower of the ancient world.

Cyrus' conquest of Babylon had been predicted

and was described in the old Testament by the Jewish prophet Daniel.

That very night, the Babylonian region Belshazzar had held a feast.

He feasted using the sacred gold vessels from the temple in Jerusalem

and then suddenly miraculously there was a hand writing on the wall

and the writing said "you have been weighed in the balance,

you've been found wanting and your kingdom will be given to the Medes and the Persians".

So from this we have the expression 'the writing is on the wall'

and we have Rembrandt's great painting Balshaazar's feast.

Within hours the great empire of Babylon was no more.

Cyrus justified his invasion to the Babylonian people

in a proclamation written on clay tablets

such as this one which are likely to have been widely distributed.

Surviving fragments along with the Cyrus Cylinder carry identical wording.

Because the Cyrus Cylinder was meant for a Babylonian audience,

it was written in the Babylonian language

which is a Semitic tongue

related to the modern languages of Hebrew and Arabic and Aramaic.

The writing system which Cyrus' officials used was the traditional cuneiform script

which had been invented in Ancient Iraq well before 3000 B.C

it is written by pressing a stylus, something a bit like a chopstick

into the surface of the clay which is nearly dry

and the signs which convey the sound of the language

consist of different arrangements of these strokes,

they're written one by one

and the reader has to join them up

and the sound emerges from the clay.

This is the line that says

"I am Kurash, shar kishshati King of the world,

the Great King, King of Babylon" and so it goes on.

So we're going to write Kurash...

So the first sign 'Ku', has a big vertical,

two small horizontals, one bigger horizontal

a little vertical and another horizontal

like a box.

This is 'Ku'.

Then 'Ra', we have three strong horizontals to begin,

one big one next to it,

and then one little vertical wedge

and one bigger vertical wedge.

"Ku-Ra'.

Now we do 'Ash',

which is three long horizontals comme ça

and then a vertical in the middle.

So we can read this Kurash, the name of Cyrus.

The early lines on the Cylinder extol Cyrus' virtues and his reasons for invading Babylon

but it's lines 30-35 that set Cyrus up as a great leader

in the modern liberal sense.

One of Cyrus' first acts after his conquest

was to release those who had been made captive by the Babylonians.

Now this was a mark of his style of rule

and it's this very event that is recorded on the cylinder.

So this was a key moment in the history of the Jewish people,

they had spent many years weeping by the rivers of Babylon

and now finally they were allowed to return to Jerusalem

and then to rebuild the temple.

The return to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon,

the permission from Cyrus to rebuild the second temple reshaped Judaism

and the notion of return is central to Jewish life and mythology.

No lesser person than David Ben-Gurion wrote -

'Cyrus displayed a spirit of charity towards his adversaries,

a unique tolerance towards all religions,

he Cyrus played a decisive role in the first return to Zion'.

Although Cyrus' empire was eventually broken up

the idea of Cyrus himself remained,

Cyrus as the model ruler.

The principle source for that view of Cyrus

came from the Greek historian Xenophon,

his book Cyropaedia was really about how to run an empire

with Cyrus as the model.

It was very popular all through the Renaissance

and particularly with the founding fathers of America.

And we know that Jefferson had two, possibly three copies

of Xenophon's 'Life of Cyrus' and referred to it regularly,

so there's a very direct link between the Cyrus Cylinder and the making of the United

States.

The Persian Empire founded by Cyrus the Great

reached its peak under the later King Darius.

Extending from Libya in the the Central Mediterranean

to the Indus Valley,

in modern day Pakistan.

It is the beginning of the idea of the Middle East,

an idea that we still live with today.

And when we use the words the 'Near East',

the 'Middle East',

we're talking about exactly the area that was the Persian Empire.

The frieze behind me is a cast of the frieze in the Royal Palace at Persepolis,

the Persian capital.

And it shows the different peoples of the Empire,

bringing their different tributes.

It's a perfect emblem of the variety of the Empire.

Every people brings their own kind of tribute

and the Persian Empire,

unlike others didn't try to crush people into one way of being or doing,

it allowed a great diversity of habits and patterns,

language and faith to live together.

It became the great model of how to run an empire of dizzying diversity.

Because it was such a vast area,

new practices and techniques had to be introduced

to administer this vast space.

The exhibition has tried to highlight some of these

all as the introduction of old Persian cuneiform,

there are technological introductions,

wonderful new forms of jewelery

and gold and silver bowls,

we find Aramaic becoming widely used at this time

and we've got the introduction on a large scale of coinage.

The King of Lydia is Croesus who rules a very prosperous nation

and Cyrus sees Lydian coinage in silver and in gold

and he adopts that coinage

and produces Croesids as we call these coins.

These coins show a lion attacking a bull

and it is until the time of Darius in 522 that this coinage is continued.

Darius introduces a completely new monetary coinage,

the gold daric, named after him.

And the silver siglos which derives from the Hebrew word for silver shekel.

He describes himself as a competent archer,

as a competent horseman, as a competent spearman.

So this imagery of the archer on his coins

is something definitely that the Persians would like to be portrayed as.

This armlet is actually one of a pair,

from the Oxus treasure,

the griffin terminals possibly show these are Zoroastrian Veragna bird

the surface is covered with lots of little cavities

for inlaying with semi-precious stone, glass or coloured paste

characteristic of the Achaemanid period.

Armlets were particularly precious diplomatic gifts at this time,

they're shown being brought by four of the different delegations

on the Apadana reliefs at Persepolis.

Amongst the objects of the Oxus treasure,

there are some fascinating votive objects in the form of gold plaques.

These figures wear a soft cap perhaps made of felt.

They had a chin guard this could be pulled up to cover the mouth .

When they were engaged in a religious act or ritual act in front of the fire

they had to protect the fire which is a holy element

and must not be polluted.

They hold consecrated wooden sticks the barsom.

We think the Achaemenids were Zoroastrians, an ancient religion

which gets its name from the prophet Zarathustra or Zoraster in Greek.

At a time when a number of Gods were worshiped

Zarathustra came and said no the creator of all is Ahura Mazda.

This is the official seal of the later King Darius

who put the Empire on a secure administrative and financial footing.

King Darius hunts a lion, above him is a winged figure

with the head of a human being

thought to be the Zoroastrian God Ahura Mazda,

the wording declares;

'I am Darius, the Great King'.

It's in three languages,

old Persian, Elamite and Babylonian.

These monumental official languages which sometimes also include Egyptian hieroglyphs

are another sign of the multi-cultural nature of the empire.

Almost everything that we know about the Persian Empire actually comes from Greek sources,

so was written by their enemies.

So it's a bit like knowing the story of 20th America entirely through Soviet sources.

And thats why this cylinder is so important

this is the Persians speaking as the Persians addressing the world

it's a message direct from Cyrus.

When the Cyrus Cylinder was excavated in 1879,

it brings Cyrus and indeed the cylinder into a totally different kind of debate

not about government, but about the reliability of scripture.

The middle of the 19th Century

was of course a moment when the authenticity

and the authority of scripture was being challenged.

Darwin is writing about evolution,

the discoveries of geology are making people wonder whether you can rely on scripture.

The Cylinder tells us that Cyrus is governed,

led by the God of Babylon Marduk,

the Hebrew Bible tells us that it was the Lord God of Israel

who governed Cyrus who conducts him through the whole military campaign

and so what we have in the Cyrus Cylinder

put beside the Hebrew Bible, the book of Chronicles, the book of Ezra

are two different priestly interpretations of the same military campaign.

It suggested that the Hebrew scriptures

must be part of a much bigger Middle Eastern religious tradition.

But the life that the Cyrus Cylinder could breathe into contemporary affairs was only

just beginning.

In 1971 for the two thousand five hundred year anniversary of the Persian monarchy.

The shah of Iran held lavish celebrations in the ancient capital Persepolis

and in Pasargadae the site of Cyrus' mausoleum.

The Cyrus Cylinder was the official symbol of the celebrations

once again it took on a new story.

The invention by the Shah of a return to Iranian history

to put him at the centre of a great tradition.

Coins were minted portraying the Shah and the Cylinder.

The Cyrus Cylinder as guarantor of the Shah

but soon the Shah was gone

and revolutionary Iranians wanted an Islamic history.

Since the Iran-Iraq war,

it's become a symbol of unity for all Iranians

to remember when two and a half thousand years ago

they fought Iraq and won.

It's worth reflecting on a moment when a Persian released the Jews

enabling them to go back to Jerusalem.

When the Cyrus Cylinder went to Tehran for exhibition in 2010

it was seen by about half a million people.

Muslims, Christians, Zoroastrians, Jews, everybody,

and it became the focus of a very particular debate about what Iran is today.,

What are the histories that will shape Iran now and in the future

and how will those affect therefore the future of the whole of the region

and indeed of the world.

In that intense debate I think it's possible that one of the most persuasive

and most powerful voices may well be the voice of this mute broken clay cylinder.