Mondo Knows Facts
The Cyrus Cylinder recorded ancient imperial tolerance
Persian King Cyrus the Great proclaimed freedom for captive peoples after taking Babylon
Following his conquest of Babylon in 539 BCE, King Cyrus the Great issued a clay cylinder declaring religious freedom and allowing displaced populations to return to their homelands. Often described as one of the earliest declarations of human rights, it reflected an innovative model of empire built on cultural tolerance.
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Tags: persia, cyrus, babylon
The Cyrus Cylinder recorded ancient imperial tolerance: the short answers
- Where does this come from, and can I check it?
- Persian King Cyrus the Great proclaimed freedom for captive peoples after taking Babylon. The figure is taken from British Museum, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
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- Yes. It sits on the History shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
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