empire

Even though it has been hailed as an “icon of freedom” and “the first bill of human rights”, some scholars, such as Amélie Kuhrt of the University of London, argue that these designations are an exaggeration. She contends that the text of the Cyrus Cylinder is brief and, in official translations, lacks a formal affirmation of human rights. Emory University’s Jacob L. Wright of Emory University believes that it paints also virtuous a picture of Cyrus the Great and glosses over the many bloody battles that he took portion in through his conquest of Babylon. Other historians dismiss the Cylinder...