A 9-inch barrel-shaped clay cylinder, inscribed by Cyrus the Great around 539 BC after he conquered Babylon. Its 45 lines of Akkadian cuneiform proclaim a policy of returning displaced peoples to their homelands and rebuilding their temples — exactly matching Ezra 1's account of Cyrus's decree authorizing the Jews to return and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem.
Why this matters
Independent royal confirmation that Cyrus's repatriation policy in Ezra 1 was his actual policy, not a later Jewish invention. Often called the world's first declaration of human rights.
Scripture references
Ezra 1:1-42 Chronicles 36:22-23Isaiah 44:28Isaiah 45:1
Location
British Museum