{"page":"\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/resources-572d6a42.css\" /\u003e\n\u003clink rel=\"stylesheet\" href=\"https://lessonplanet.com/assets/packs/css/lp_boclips_stylesheets-f4d0de30.css\" media=\"all\" /\u003e\n\u003cdiv data-title='World\u0026#39;s first human rights declaration from 539 BC on show' data-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bcc4d8eafeecae12f1ff' data-video-url='/boclips/videos/5c54bcc4d8eafeecae12f1ff' id='bo_player_modal'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='boclips-resource-page modal-dialog panel-container'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='react-notifications-root'\u003e\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-header'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-type'\u003e\n\u003ci aria-hidden='true' class='fai fa-regular fa-circle-play'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\nVideo\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ch1 class='rp-title' id='video-title'\u003e\nWorld\u0026#39;s first human rights declaration from 539 BC on show\n\u003c/h1\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-actions'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='mr-1'\u003e\n\u003ca class=\"btn btn-success\" data-posthog-event=\"Signup: LP Signup Activity\" data-posthog-location=\"body_link_boclips\" data-remote=\"true\" href=\"/subscription/new\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan\u003eGet Free Access\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan class=\"\"\u003e for 10 Days\u003c/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e!\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\u003c/a\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-body'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-info'\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-label='Hide resource details' class='rp-hide-info' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u0026times;\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Expand resource details' class='rp-expand-info fai fa-solid fa-up-right-and-down-left-from-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003ci aria-label='Compress resource details' class='rp-compress-info fai fa-solid fa-down-left-and-up-right-to-center' role='button' tabindex='0'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-rating'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='resource-pool'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-label'\u003ePublisher:\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='pool-name'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='text'\u003e\u003ca data-publisher-id=\"30356011\" href=\"/search?publisher_ids%5B%5D=30356011\"\u003eCurated Video\u003c/a\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-description'\u003e\n\u003cspan class='short-description'\u003eAP Television Washington, DC - 7 March, 2013 1. Various of clay Cyrus Cylinder from ancient Babylon, described as the world's first human rights declaration2.  SOUNDBITE (English) John Curtis, Keeper of Special Middle East Projects,...\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003cspan class='full-description hide'\u003eAP Television \u003cbr/\u003eWashington, DC - 7 March, 2013 \u003cbr/\u003e1. Various of clay Cyrus Cylinder from ancient Babylon, described as the world's first human rights declaration\u003cbr/\u003e2.  SOUNDBITE (English) John Curtis, Keeper of Special Middle East Projects, British Museum :\u003cbr/\u003e\"Well, what the cylinder is is a piece of clay inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform. It's the shape of an American football and the size, let's say.  And, it was inscribed on the orders of the Persian king Cyrus after he captured Babylon in 539BC.\"\u003cbr/\u003e3. Mid of Cyrus Cylinder \u003cbr/\u003e4. Pan of cuneiform \"sentences\" on cylinder\u003cbr/\u003e5. SOUNDBITE (English) John Curtis, Keeper of Special Middle East Projects, British Museum :\u003cbr/\u003e\"He (Cyrus) says that he's sending back to the shrines from which they've been removed by the Babylonian kings, statues of the gods.  And this effectively means that all of those places where the statues are being sent back to can practice whatever religion they like.\" \u003cbr/\u003e6. Cyrus cylinder\u003cbr/\u003e7. Clay tablet inscribed with cuneiform, pull out\u003cbr/\u003e8. SOUNDBITE (English) John Curtis, Keeper of Special Middle East Projects, British Museum:\u003cbr/\u003e\"It doesn't actually mention in the cylinder the Jews, it does give a list of the places where the statues are being sent back to, doesn't include Jerusalem.  But we know that this must have happened at this time because, of course, we've got an independent record in two Biblical books, Two Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah.  And those books talk about a proclamation being issued by Cyrus and about the Jews being allowed to go back to Jerusalem at this time and build the second temples.\"\u003cbr/\u003e9. Man looking at exhibit case\u003cbr/\u003e10. Various of fragments on exhibit\u003cbr/\u003e11. Close of two views of Cyrus on tablet protecting his people by killing beasts\u003cbr/\u003e12. SOUNDBITE (English) John Curtis, Keeper of Special Middle Eastern Projects, British Museum:\u003cbr/\u003e\"I very much hope that people will come away with a new vision about ancient Iran.  They will see that Iran have a very, very rich cultural heritage.  That in the sixth century BC, Iran made very extraordinary contributions to the development of civilisation.\"\u003cbr/\u003e13. Pan of cuneiform inscription (not on Cyrus Cylinder)\u003cbr/\u003e14. Set up of Director of British Museum Neil MacGregor speaking at news conference \u003cbr/\u003e15. SOUNDBITE:  (English)  Neil MacGregor, Director - British Museum:\u003cbr/\u003e\"He lists a whole series of towns in Mesopotamia where they may go back. It will take their gods, who have been confiscated, their temple gods confiscated, back to the towns and the sanctuaries and they are to rebuild their sanctuaries and they are to pray to their gods and in the temples to pray for the king.  Different gods, different peoples, praying for the same king.\"\u003cbr/\u003e15. Various of gold bracelet\u003cbr/\u003e16. SOUNDBITE (English) Neil MacGregor, Director of British Museum:\u003cbr/\u003e\"Why does this matter now?  It matters because we are confronting in every one of our cities, in Europe and in America, a new kind of diversity.  People of different ethnicities, languages, faiths, traditions, trying to live together.  We don't really have a model for this.  But we all know that somebody once did.\"\u003cbr/\u003e17.  Reflection of woman looking at exhibition, Cyrus Cylinder in reflection\u003cbr/\u003e18. Entrance to exhibition\u003cbr/\u003eA clay cylinder, described as the world's first human rights declaration, is being shown for the first time in the United States.\u003cbr/\u003eThe Cyrus Cylinder from ancient Babylon is some 2,600 years old and is on display at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery in Washington, DC.\u003cbr/\u003eThis is the Cyrus Cylinder and is now showing in the US, on loan from the British Museum.\u003cbr/\u003eWritten in the ancient script of Babylonian cuneiform it addresses the question of how to manage a state that doesn't have one faith, but is a nation of many religions.\u003cbr/\u003eThis question was being asked in the year 539BC as the emperor Cyrus began his rule at the head of the Persian Empire.\u003cbr/\u003eWritten on the cylinder, Cyrus gives conquered peoples the right to practice their specific religious beliefs while remaining members of the Persian Empire. \u003cbr/\u003eThe Cyrus Cylinder is often called the world's first human rights declaration\u003cbr/\u003eJohn Curtis is the Keeper of Special Middle Eastern Projects at the British Museum in London.\u003cbr/\u003eHe says explains exactly what the Cyrus Cylinder is.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Well, what the cylinder is is a piece of clay inscribed in Babylonian cuneiform. It's the shape of an American football and the size, let's say.  And, it was inscribed on the orders of the Persian king Cyrus after he captured Babylon in 539BC.\"\u003cbr/\u003eThe cylinder carries an account, written in cuneiform, of how Persian King Cyrus conquered Babylon and would allow freedom of worship and abolish forced labour, as Curtis explains.\u003cbr/\u003e\"He (Cyrus) says that he's sending back to the shrines from which they've been removed by the Babylonian kings, statues of the gods.  And this effectively means that all of those places where the statues are being sent back to can practice whatever religion they like.\" \u003cbr/\u003eCurtis says when the cylinder was discovered on a British expedition in modern-day Iraq in 1879, it was considered the first physical evidence of the biblical account.\u003cbr/\u003e\"It doesn't actually mention in the cylinder the Jews, it does give a list of the places where the statues are being sent back to, doesn't include Jerusalem.  But we know that this must have happened at this time because, of course, we've got an independent record in two Biblical books, Two Chronicles and Ezra-Nehemiah.  And those books talk about a proclamation being issued by Cyrus and about the Jews being allowed to go back to Jerusalem at this time and build the second temple.\"\u003cbr/\u003eFour years ago, curators in the British Museum discovered two other pieces of cuneiform tablets that are copies of the same edit issued by the Cyrus Cylinder, suggesting that the cylinder was a proclamation and distributed throughout the new Persian empire.\u003cbr/\u003eThe exhibition pairs the football-size cylinder with other artifacts from Cyrus' era to show how the Persian empire grew to span many religions, languages and cultures - its borders stretching from modern day China to Egypt and the Balkans. \u003cbr/\u003eIt includes seals showing the king's authority, Persian coins, and religious symbols in gold and silver.\u003cbr/\u003eIncluded is an example of how Persian artisans were able to advance the craftsmanship of gold  embedding gems in personal jewelry.\u003cbr/\u003eWhen the cylinder was shown in 2010 and 2011 in Iran, it drew at least half a million visitors, showing that Iranians are still proud of the artifact as a central piece of their history, curators said. \u003cbr/\u003eCurtis says the story of Cyrus and the cylinder is a reminder of Iran's rich history.\u003cbr/\u003e\"I very much hope that people will come away with a new vision about ancient Iran.  They will see that Iran had a very, very rich cultural heritage.  That in the sixth century BC, Iran made very extraordinary contributions to the development of civilisation.\"\u003cbr/\u003eNeil MacGregor is director of the British Museum.\u003cbr/\u003eSpeaking at a news conference at the opening of the exhibition he says the cylinder has long been held as a model of good governance for a vast, multicultural society.\u003cbr/\u003e\"He lists a whole series of towns in Mesopotamia where they may go back. It will take their gods, who have been confiscated, their temple gods confiscated, back to the towns and the sanctuaries and they are to rebuild their sanctuaries and they are to pray to their gods and in the temples to pray for the king.  Different gods, different peoples, praying for the same king.\"\u003cbr/\u003eMacGregor says though the cylinder is a small object, it raises big political questions.\u003cbr/\u003e\"Why does this matter now?  It matters because we are confronting in every one of our cities, in Europe and in America, a new kind of diversity.  People of different ethnicities, languages, faiths, traditions, trying to live together.  We don't really have a model for this.  But we all know that somebody once did.\"\u003cbr/\u003eThe cylinder is on display until 28 April 2013 at the Smithsonian before it heads off on a year-long tour of the US with exhibitions planned in Houston, New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles.\u003cbr/\u003e\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='action-container flex justify-between'\u003e\n\u003cbutton aria-expanded='false' aria-label='Read more description' class='rp-full-description' type='button'\u003e\n\u003ci class='fai fa-solid fa-align-left'\u003e\u003c/i\u003e\n\u003cspan id='read_more'\u003eRead More\u003c/span\u003e\n\u003c/button\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-report'\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003c/div\u003e\n\u003cdiv aria-labelledby='resource-details-heading' class='rp-info-section'\u003e\n\u003ch2 class='title' id='resource-details-heading'\u003eResource Details\u003c/h2\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='rp-resource-details clearfix'\u003e\n\u003cdiv class='detail'\u003e\n\u003cdl\u003e\n\u003cdt\u003eCurator 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