居鲁士大帝
世界上最早的“人权宣言”，被称为“居鲁士宣言”。居鲁士圆柱是以公元前6世纪征服了巴比伦的波斯帝国统治者居鲁士的名字命名，记载着居鲁士公元前539年征服巴比伦等内容，是具有2500多年历史的著名文物，居鲁士圆柱于1879年被发现，之后就一直收藏在大英博物馆。居鲁士圆柱是伊朗人最崇敬的文物。居鲁士圆柱现在大英博物馆保留。
On this day in 539 BCE, Cyrus the Great, king of Persia, declared what is believed to be the first charter of human rights in the world.
Cyrus the Great, also known as Cyrus II and Cyrus the Elder, was the founder of the Achaemenid Empire and father of Persia, whose reign lasted roughly 30 years from 559 to 530 BCE. This ancient Persian king built a vast empire encompassing parts of the Near East, Southwest Asia, Central Asia, Europe, and the Caucuses. From Asia Minor in the West to India in the East, the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus was the largest empire the world had yet seen. Though he used force also, Cyrus is best known for the diplomacy with which he conquered lands and the tolerance he showed his conquered peoples.
In 539 BCE, Persian troops under Cyrus the Great entered the city of Babylon, which they took without encountering any resistance. On 29 October 539 BCE, Cyrus himself entered the city and proclaimed himself “king of Babylon, king of Sumer and Akkad, king of the four corners of the world,” after which he placed the Cyrus Cylinder, the world’s first declaration of human rights, under the walls of Babylon, in the foundations of the temple of Esaglia. The text of the cylinder denounces Babylon’s previous leader, Nabonidus, glorifies Cyrus, and describes how he improved the lives of the people of Babylon. Upon conquering Babylon, Cyrus is said to have proclaimed, “Today, I announce that everyone is free to choose a religion. People are free to live in all regions and take up a job provided that they never violate other’s rights.”
This acknowledgement of human rights and freedom of religion—made more than 2,500 years ago by perhaps the most powerful man on Earth at the time—was an astounding example of benevolence, tolerance, and mercy. True to his word, Cyrus respected the customs and religions of the lands he conquered. Upon conquering Babylon, he is said to have freed the Jews there from captivity.
Cyrus the Great is the benefactor of praise and the subject of legend in Persia and Greece and throughout ancient and modern texts. He appears in the Bible as the liberator of the Jews, and some Iranians believe he appears in the Quran as the savior with two horns.
The ancient clay Cyrus Cylinder is at the British Museum in London. Although some scholars reject the interpretation, many experts and organizations, including the United Nations, consider it one of the world’s earliest charters of human rights.
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