Author: Friya Randelia
Good Life Essay
Cyrus II, also known as Cyrus the Great, was the first king of the Achaemenid Empire. He took over Media and brought together an empire like no other king before him. Cyrus the Great was born in Anshan, Persia in 580 BC to King Cambyses I. After this senior king died, Cyrus II became King of Anshan at the age of twenty-one years. During this time, Anshan was still part of the Median Empire. Cyrus II led a successful revolt against the Median Empire to form his own: the Persian Empire. He expanded his empire and conquered Lydia, Mesopotamia, Syria, and Judea. Some of these places were part of the Babylonian Empire. Cyrus II was viewed as a fair ruler, treating his subjects equally as long as they paid their taxes and did not revolt. Other rulers were not as just as Cyrus II. He was unique in that he was a monotheistic Zoroastrian when other kings were polytheistic. However, he still respected these other religions and did not impose his religion on his subjects. On the whole, Cyrus the Great was a remarkable leader.
Cyrus the Great is known for his cylinder, which holds the first known charter of rights. The cylinder is made of baked clay and was excavated in Babylon, Iraq, in 1879. The cylinder is written in Babylonian cuneiform, but some clay fragments are missing. It started with the conquest of Babylon in 539 BC. Rather than being a miserable period for the Babylonians, it was a time of great happiness and relief. Before Cyrus the Great conquered and liberated Babylon, King Nabonidus ruled the country poorly. On the cylinder, he is known for putting “a low person in charge of the country and construct[ing] false temples. He instituted improper rites and brought the daily religious offerings to a halt. He caused evil acts within the city every day, burdened the people, without relief thereby bringing ruin.” Cyrus II was said to have been ordered by Marduk, the Supreme God of the Babylonians, to go to Babylon and rescue the country from its difficulties and pains without a battle. Cyrus the Great did not want anyone to feel fearful or terrorized by his peaceable troops. He liberated them from their previous oppressor. All in all, Cyrus the Great and his cylinder were important to the people of Babylon.
The Cyrus Cylinder shows how Zoroastrianism can have an influence on others. It is said to have had an influence on leaders like Alexander the Great all the way to Thomas Jefferson with the United States Declaration of Independence. Cyrus II was part of the Achaemenid series of kings who were firm believers in the Zoroastrian religion. They were mainly moral and tried to use their religion for the betterment of others. This is evident through the creation of the Cyrus Cylinder. This is the first known documented set of human rights. Cyrus the Great established a practice of religious tolerance that would remain for the rest of the Achaemenian Empire. In the Declaration of Independence, it says that “all men are created equal,” which could have been influenced by the Cyrus Cylinder’s message of freedom. As one can see, the Cyrus Cylinder has had an influence on other cultures in various time periods.
Zoroastrianism taught these kings about Good Thoughts, Good Words, and Good Deeds. The kings themselves were also focused on following the path of Asha, which encompasses Righteousness and the Ideal Truth. Their religion provided these essential guiding principles to develop a humane and honorable system of dealing with conquered people. The Cyrus Cylinder is popular around the world, and with it, the message of Ahura Mazda’s religion is spread. The Cyrus Cylinder helps Zoroastrianism stay relevant in today’s world and prevents it from becoming a figment of the past. The Cyrus Cylinder has also helps preserve some of our basic thoughts on equality. Even though the Babylonians were a conquered people, Cyrus the Great still treated them with dignity and with humanity. They were allowed to practice their religion freely. This is similar to the Parsis’ story in India. After the Arab invasion of Iran, some Zoroastrians did not feel it was safe enough to practice their religion there. They fled to India, where they successfully sought refuge and freedom to worship Ahura Mazda peacefully alongside Hindus. Cyrus II is especially famous for allowing the Jews to be freed from their exile that they were forced into during the time of King Nebuchadnezzar starting in 597 BC. Cyrus II helped to bring back Jewish temples, like the one in Jerusalem, as well as the treasures that had been looted from them. There are several praising mentions of the Persian king in the Old Testament of the Bible, which is fundamentally from Judaism. In conclusion, the Cyrus Cylinder has contributed to preserving the Zoroastrian faith.
8 July 2013
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