• Presented in two parts.
• Continued and concludes at 539: The Cyrus Cylinder - Part 2 of 2, which also includes references and sources.
In 1879, a Turkish archaeologist, working at the site of the ancient Babylonian city of Nineveh, came across a clay barrel. The surface of the barrel had been engraved in Babylonian cuneiform. Once translated, it was apparent that an ancient legal document had been uncovered.
The historic item is often referred to as the Cyrus Cylinder, because it purports to state the exploits of Cyrus the Great, a Persian king and emperor who conquered Babylon in 539 BC. One of the extremely valuable aspects of the archaeological find is that it documents the end of the empire of Babylon and the Babylonian captivity of a large slave population, mostly Jews taken from Jerusalem since the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, circa 597 BC.
Cyrus was the son of Cambyses I. When Cambyses I died in 559 BC, Cyrus inherited the crown. At first, he declared an alliance with Babylon but it would not last. After a series of military victories that let Cyrus deep into the modern-day state of Greece, he turned his army around to the east, marched to and entered the great city of Babylon, which simply surrendered.
The defeated Babylon ruler, Nabu-naid, was absent when Cyrus' troops arrived at Babylon, enjoying a 10-year stay on the coast of Arabia. He was captured in 539, the last native king of Babylon.
Many of these events are recorded in the Bible, the books of Isiah, Jeremiah, Ezra and Zechariah.
Cyrus the Great wanted a public record of his greatness. He had a clay barrel cylinder inscribed with grandiose descriptions of his achievements, and propaganda. He had just conquered what was then the world's most glorious city, replete with hanging gardens which have been described as one of the seven wonders of the ancient world.
Because Cyrus had freed the Jewish and other Sumerian people from Babylonian captivity, and then allowed the Jews to return to Jerusalem, some have called the Cyrus Cylinder the first charter of human rights. But from an objective reading of what has been deciphered from the cuneiform, it is more of a propaganda document.
However, simply because the Jews and the Muslims present the actions of Cyrus as those of a military and political leader who freed people from slavery and bondage, the Cylinder if not in fact, in symbol, has become an icon of legal history and of freedom, of which modern-day Persians and Muslims are proud.
The text on the cylinder is about 40 lines, many of them containing large segments which are either missing or no longer readable because of large chunk missing from the middle (see LawGallery > Cyrus' Cylinder for a large image of the Cylinder).
The text begins in typical Mesopotamian style, with a political preamble extolling the virtues and conquests of the sponsor, in this case Cyrus the Great.
For our version, we rely on the British Museum translation (Irving Finkel Assistant Keeper, Department of the Middle East) with missing text indicated by "…" and reconstructed words presented with brackets "( )".
There is another translation preferred by some historian but it is dated 1912 (that of William Rogers).
Much of the brief preamble is an incoherent mass of truncated words, and so we have omitted it.
Thus, as with any presentation of the actual text upon the 539 B.C. Cylinder of Cyrus, it starts awkwardly.
He (Nabu-naid) made a counterfeit of Esagil, (and) for Ur and the rest of the cult-cities.
Rites inappropriate to them, (impure) food offerings … disrespectful … were daily gabbled, and, as an insult, he brought the daily offerings to a halt; he inter(fered with the rites and) instituted … within the sanctuaries.
In his mind, reverential fear of Marduk, king of the gods, came to an end.
He did yet more evil to his city every day. His (people) … he brought ruin on them all by a yoke without relief.
Enlil-of-the-gods became extremely angry at their complaints, and … their territory. The gods who lived within them left their shrines, angry that he had made (them) enter into Shuanna (Babylon).
Ex(alted Marduk) relented. He changed his mind about all the settlements whose sanctuaries were in ruins, and the population of the land of Sumer and Akkad who had become like corpses, and took pity on them.
He inspected and checked all the countries, seeking for the upright king of his choice.
He took the hand of Cyrus, king of the city of Anshan, and called him by his name, proclaiming him aloud for the kingship over all of everything.
He made the land of Guti and all the Median troops prostrate themselves at his feet, while he shepherded in justice and righteousness the black-headed people whom he had put under his care. Marduk, the great lord, who nurtures his people, saw with pleasure his fine deeds and true heart, and ordered that he should go to Babylon.
He had him take the road to Tintir (Babylon), and, like a friend and companion, he walked at his side.
His vast troops whose number, like the water in a river, could not be counted, were marching fully-armed at his side.
He had him enter without fighting or battle right into Shuanna; he saved his city Babylon from hardship. He handed over to him Nabonidus, the king who did not fear him.
All the people of Tintir, of all Sumer and Akkad, nobles and governors, bowed down before him and kissed his feet, rejoicing over his kingship and their faces shone.
The lord through whose help all were rescued from death and who saved them all from distress and hardship, they blessed him sweetly and praised his name.
• Continued at 539: The Cyrus Cylinder - Part 2 of 2.