The Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften: Events
Thursday, 13 March 2025, 19:00Venue: Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften, Am Wingertsberg 4, 61348 Bad Homburg
Forschungskolleg Humanwissenschaften der Goethe-Universität
Lecture
Hossein Badamchi (University of Teheran)
»The Cyrus Cylinder: Propaganda or Imperial Policy?«
Foto: The Cyrus Cylinder, British Museum, photo: private
About the lecture
The Cyrus Cylinder contains a decree issued by Cyrus the Great following his conquest of Babylon in the early fall of 539 BCE. From a literary perspective, this inscription falls within the category of royal commemorative inscriptions. Historiographically, such inscriptions often present a one-sided account of history, marked by exaggeration and a strong emphasis on official ideology rather than objective historical facts.
This presentation explores a fundamental question: Were the measures described in the Cyrus Cylinder merely royal propaganda, or did they reflect a genuine governance policy? Furthermore, it examines whether contemporary or near-contemporary sources provide evidence for the actual implementation of these measures.
The discussion begins with an analysis of the Cylinder’s content and the governance policies attributed to Cyrus. It then investigates his religious policies by drawing on cuneiform records, Hebrew biblical accounts, and Greek historical narratives. Ultimately, this study seeks to determine whether Cyrus’s claims—such as his peaceful entry into Babylon and his support for existing religious traditions—are substantiated by contemporary sources or whether they primarily served as part of Achaemenid ideological discourse.
About the speaker
Hossein Badamchi is an Associate Professor of Ancient Near Eastern History at the University of Tehran. After studying law and history in Iran, he received a scholarship to pursue Assyriology and cuneiform law at Johns Hopkins University. From 2017 to 2019, he was a guest of Guido Pfeifer at the Institute of Legal History at Goehte University with a Humboldt Research Fellowship for Advanced Scholars. Badamchi has published the Iranian translation of the Laws of Hammurabi and the inscription of the Cyros Cylinder, which allowed for a broader reception of the two texts written in cuneiform script.
Registration
For better planning, please register by 10 March 2025 at:
anmeldung@forschungskolleg-humanwissenschaften.de.