The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning at the Getty Villa

On loan from the British Museum, The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning concludes its U.S. tour with a nine week presentation at the Getty Villa which runs until December 2, 2013. Found at Babylon in 1879, the Cyrus Cylinder is among the most celebrated discoveries from the ancient world, with a legacy that resounds to this day.

The Cyrus Cylinder, Achaemenid, after 539 B.C. Terracotta, 22.9 x 10 cm
[Credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum]

Inscribed with cuneiform script, the Cylinder records the conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C. by the Persian king Cyrus the Great (ruled 559–530 B.C.).

Even before its discovery, Cyrus had been renowned as a benevolent and noble ruler. The Greek historian Xenophon (about 430–354 B.C.) presented him as an ideal leader in his Cyropaedia, while Old Testament texts praise Cyrus for bringing an end to the Jewish exile in Babylon.

Armlet with Griffins, From the Oxus Treasure, Achaemenid, 500–330 B.C. Gold,
12.3 x 11.6 x 2.6 cm [Credit: © The Trustees of the British Museum]

The Cylinder provides a valuable complement to this legacy, for it records — in Cyrus's own words — how, on taking control of Babylon, he restored religious traditions, and permitted those who had been deported to return to their settlements in and around Babylonia.

In taking Babylon, Cyrus brought what was recently the heart of a great kingdom into the growing Achaemenid Empire. Rather than imposing Persian practices on its peoples, however, he sought to uphold their traditions. This is evident from the Cyrus Cylinder itself. For one, the inscription was written in the local language, Babylonian.

Achaemenid Relief with a Lion Attacking Bull, Persepolis, Album fotografico della Persia 
(Photographic Album of Persia), 1860, Luigi Pesce. Salted paper print,
19 x 23.6 cm [Credit: The Getty Research Institute]

Moreover, by embedding this Cylinder in the foundations of Babylon, Cyrus was adhering to a standard practice in the region–intended to secure divine favor and record a ruler's achievements for posterity. In following an established custom, Cyrus set out to legitimize his newly acquired authority.