Cyrus Cylinder: The First Charter

In 539 BCE, after conquering Babylon, Cyrus the Great issued what's now known as the Cyrus Cylinder, inscribed on baked clay. The text declares his intention to allow religious freedom and to repatriate displaced peoples, notably the Jews, back to their homelands. Centuries later, scholars hail it as one of history's first known expressions of human-rights ideals.

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