Tuesday, September 21, 2004
How Britain tried to use a Persian antiquity for political gain
"The Art Newspaper can reveal that the British Museum (BM) is lending one of its famous antiquities to Iran. The Cyrus Cylinder, an inscribed clay drum, has been described as the “first charter of human rights”. Dating from 539 BC, it records Cyrus the Great’s order for the humane treatment of the Babylonians after their conquest by the Persians. As BM director Neil MacGregor points out, the text has “powerful modern resonances in the context of current conflicts in the region”."
theartnewspaper
¶ 6:01 PM
theartnewspaper
¶ 6:01 PM
