There are few more important documents in the history of the ancient Near East than the Cyrus Cylinder, a proclamation inscribed in clay dating from King Cyrus's conquest of Babylonia in 539BC. The document stresses the Persian king’s respect for the traditions of the Babylonian people and his determination to improve their lives, noting that he has freed captive peoples and allowed them home.
Among other things, the cylinder provides historical evidence of the Biblical story of Cyrus ending the Babylonian exile of the Jews. With some exaggeration, the cylinder has been called the world’s first human rights charter.
