King Cyrus' Cylinder!

BBC Learning English
6 Minute English
King Cyrus' Cylinder
NB: This is not a word for word transcript
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Yvonne: Hello, I'm Yvonne Archer, this is 6 Minute English and thanks to Alice for
joining me today.
Alice: Hi Yvonne.
Yvonne: Hello Alice. Now recently, an artefact - a very old piece of art - which many
historians regard as the world's first ever human rights charter was on loan
for a while from the British Museum to the National Iranian Museum in
Tehran.
Alice: Very interesting.
Yvonne: It is, and it's small, it’s made of clay and is a cylindrical shape. And the Cyrus
Cylinder, as it's often called, is two and a half thousand years old!
Alice: That’s very old. Is it still in perfect shape?
Yvonne: I think it is, yes. But before we find out more, you'd better answer today's
question, Alice.
Alice: OK - I’m ready and waiting.
Yvonne: Very good. Which country does the British Museum's oldest artefact come
from?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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a) Benin
b) Iraq or
c) Tanzania
Alice: I’ve got no idea - so I’m going to guess …Tanzania.
Yvonne: OK. And I’ll tell you whether you’re right or wrong later on in today’s “6
Minute English”. King Cyrus of Persia, now Iran, ordered the cylinder to be
inscribed way back in 539 BC. Alice, can you explain how an inscription is
different from writing for us, please?
Alice: Sure. When we write, it's usually on the surface of something with ink - or with
graphite if we’re using a pencil. But King Cyrus's words were 'inscribed', so
they were engraved - or carved - into the surface of the cylinder. And we can
actually feel the writing with our fingers if we touch the inscription, not just
look at it.
Yvonne: And here's BBC Front Row presenter, John Wilson, to tell us what is inscribed
on the Cyrus Cylinder:
Insert 1: John Wilson, BBC Front Row
This object records how he liberated the city of Babylon from tyranny, how he freed and
repatriated enslaved people. And how he decreed that all the people of Babylon should
be allowed to practice their own religion and culture.
Yvonne: The little clay object records - or tells us - how King Cyrus liberated the city of
Babylon from tyranny. Now there's a word we don't hear too often! Alice, can
you explain what is 'tyranny' is for us, please?
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Alice: Well, 'tyranny' is a type of behaviour that is cruel, oppressive and very unfair.
For example, we might hear a dictator described as 'tyrannical'. So freeing the
city of Babylon from tyranny is generally thought to have been a good thing.
Yvonne: As we heard, King Cyrus freed the enslaved people and sent them back to their
homes - he repatriated them. And what about that word 'decreed' - that's
another old fashioned and rather formal word, isn't it?
Alice: Yes, it is. If a ruler decrees something, he or she makes it officially known that
it is now law. And King Cyrus of Persia decreed that people should be allowed
to practice their own religion and culture.
Yvonne: The cylinder was on display in Tehran for about seven months and during that
time, about two million people went to see it. Here's what one exhibition
visitor told John Wilson about the artefact:
Insert 2: Woman in National Iranian Museum and John Wilson
Woman: Iran was the centre of the world so many years ago but nowadays, we're left
apart. In our schools and universities, they don't talk about these things.
John Wilson: Because it's part of the pre-Islamic history?
Woman: Yeah.
Yvonne: The woman says that Iran was the centre of the world many years ago.
Alice: So in her view, at one point, Iran was the most important country in the world.
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Yvonne: Mm. She says they don't talk about things like the Cyrus Cylinder in schools or
universities in Iran because it's an object from a time when the country wasn't
yet the Islamic Republic of Iran.
Alice: Yes, as she puts it, it's part of their pre-Islamic history, which isn’t often
talked about.
Yvonne: Well, despite the fact that Britain and Iran don't engage much politically, they
were able to agree on this exhibition after some discussion. As Neil
MacGregor, director of the British Museum explains, that has been important:
Insert 3 – Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum
In this context there have been conversations between British diplomats and Iranian
diplomats about human rights. So the exhibition itself doesn’t address these big issues of
the relationship, what it does do is create a space in which difficult conversations can
take place.
Yvonne: OK Alice, it's time to answer today's question! Which country does the British
Museum's oldest artefact come from?
Alice: And I said Tanzania.
Yvonne: And you were right! Hey!
Alice: Incredible. Pure luck! How old is it?
Yvonne: It’s actually 1.8 million years old, and it’s a stone tool that was made by man.
Now as your reward, Alice, you get to remind us of some of today’s language.
Alice: With pleasure:
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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an artefact
inscribed
tyranny
repatriated
exhibition
Yvonne: Now that’s all we’ve got time for - but do join us again soon for more "6
Minute English".
Both: Goodbye!
6 Minute English © bbclearningenglish.com 2011
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Vocabulary and definitions
an artefact a very old piece of art or an object made by humans
human rights charter legal document which says how people must be treated by
governments and each other
a cylindrical shape something with fairly flat, circular ends and longer straight
sides
inscribed writing which is cut into the surface of something so that it
is permanent
tyranny cruel, oppressive treatment of people by their leaders
repatriated sent back to their own countries
decreed officially announced
exhibition display of a group of objects or art in a public place
pre-Islamic history here, events which happened in Iran before the country
became an Islamic state
engage interact, talk to each other, discuss
More on this story: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-11264102
Read and listen to the story online:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/2011/05/110505_6min_english_iran_rights_page.shtml