Cyrus Cylinder Discovered at Babylon

Assyriologist Hormuzd Rassam unearthed a barrel-shaped clay cylinder inscribed with Akkadian cuneiform from the foundations of the Esagila temple in Babylon during excavations for the British Museum. Created circa 539 BCE under Cyrus the Great of Persia, the artifact proclaims religious tolerance and the restoration of deported peoples. Sir Henry Rawlinson announced the find at the Royal Asiatic Society in November 1879. The cylinder has since been cited in debates over ancient governance and the origins of codified religious freedom.