Eslampour, Kion Monument Zine

CYRUS, THE GREAT.

B I O .

According to the legend, Cyrus was the grandson of the Median empire, King Astyages.

When Cyrus was born, Astyages had a dream that Cyrus would one day overthrow him. He ordered that the baby Cyrus should be left in the mountains to die. The baby, however, was rescued by some herding folk who raised him as their own. When Cyrus turned ten, it became apparent that he was noble born. King Astyages heard of the child and realized that the boy had not died. He then allowed Cyrus to return home to his birth parents.

Around the age of 21, Cyrus the Great took over the throne as the king of Anshan. At this time Anshan was still subject to the Median Empire. Cyrus led a revolt against the Median Empire and in 549 BC he had completely conquered Media. He now called himself the “King of Persia.” Cyrus continued to expand his empire. He conquered the Lydians to the west and then turned his eyes south to Mesopotamia and the Babylonian Empire. In 540 BC, after routing the Babylonian army, Cyrus marched into the city of Babylon and took power. He now ruled all of Syria to Mesopotamia.

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profile of cyrus

Cyrus the Great also known as “Cyrus II,” was born in 580 BCE in modern day Iran, and died in 529 BCE in Asia. He founded the Archaemenian empire, which was located in Persia and extended all the way to the Indus river.

He managed to create the largest empire in the world at the time. His rule lasted about 30 years.

He was a very inclusive ruler, conquering many diverse areas with its own unique cultures, Cyrus allowed people to retain their culture and practiced equal rights for all. Cyrus was seen as a liberator more than a ruler, as long as his people did not revolt against him. He allowed the free practice of religion which was highly revolutionary especially during that time. He managed to free 40,000 jewish people who were held in captivity in Babylon, and after he conquered their land he let the jews return home to Jerusalem from their exile in Babylon.

The Cylinder.

One of the most famous contributions under Cyrus the Great was known as the “Cyrus Cylinder,” which is known as the first human rights document ever made. It is a 10 by 4-inch cylinder clay display with writing etched into it explaining his conquest in Babylon. This document also included human rights and political affirmations which granted many freedoms to the Babylonian people, particularly for the jews who were enslaved under the Babylonian rule at the time.

The Cyrus Cylinder was a precursor to many human rights documents today, like the Magna Carta royal rights charter agreed by King John of England, and of course, many more documents to include as history progresses. Being such a vast empire including many different beliefs, cultures, and religions, the document included a multicultural approach that allowed people to practice their culture/religion as long as they paid taxes.

Although Cyrus was a well-known ruler, I believe that his contributions have been overlooked by modern history and events. I believe that Cyrus the Great deserves a monument because of his many accomplishments that further strengthened the idea of human rights and created the first written document that established equal rights among a vast geographical location. I want to emphasize that Cyrus revolutionized the middle east, but with that, also changed the entire world because of his revolutionary ideas that contradicted many of the strict-conservative values at the time. The Cyrus Cylinder was a precursor

to many human rights documents today, like the Magna Carta royal rights charter agreed by King John of England, and of course, many more documents to include as history progresses. Being such a vast empire including many different beliefs, cultures, and religions, the document included a multicultural approach that allowed people to practice their culture/religion as long as they paid taxes.

The Monument

Pictured above is the cylindrical monument as an ode to Cyrus the Great, and a replice to the Cyrus Cylinder representing the first human rights document ever known to man.

Design.

I want to emphasize that Cyrus revolutionized the middle east, but with that, also changed the entire world because of his revolutionary ideas that contradicted many of the strict-conservative values at the time. My idea for the visual design of the monument was to simply display a cylindrical scroll made of plaster, or clay to give homage to the original material it was constructed with.

However, on the cylindrical scroll I want to include our modern day English language, and also include other people’s native languages to add to the idea of diversity , with phrases such as “peace, equality, love, diversity, and inclusion.” I am still deciding as to what to write specifically on the scroll, but these are the central ideas/themes that I am looking towards. I want the Cylinder to be bigger than the original, being at least a 24 by 8 inch display.

An interesting idea I also had with this is to allow students to write appropriate phrases regarding human rights with chalk on the cylinder to allow diversity and different perspectives. If possible, it would be fascinating to add a rotating crank with a handle on either side of the cylinder to turn it so that people can find empty space to write their phrase on, and to also rotate the messages for display. I want the Cylinder to be propped up by two metal 3 1/2 ft metal rods on the ends of the cylinder

Below is an example of a crank handle placed at the end of the cylinder to rotate it.

L ocation.

The location I had in mind at George Mason is the empty space before the entrance to the Johnson center, since it is such a high-traffic location and I want many people to notice the monument’s presence.

Another location I had in mind throughout the world was to place the monument in Istanbul, Turkey. The reason for choosing Turkey is because the country is known to connect the western and eastern worlds together, and I think placing this monument in the Istanbul Airport (which is the second largest in the world), would gather much attention and remind us all that we are all connected and all have the same rights as any other person.

SURYC, EHT .TAERG