Cyrus Cylinder Project
In March 2013, the Cyrus Cylinder, an iconic artifact from the 6th century BCE and on loan from the British Museum, embarked on its significant US tour. It debuted at the Smithsonian's Sackler Gallery and graced prestigious institutions, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York and the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. Associated with Cyrus the Great of the Achaemenid Empire, this artifact is an early testament to human rights, religious tolerance, and the liberation of Jews, reflecting the ancient Persian values of freedom, tolerance, and coexistence. On loan from the British Museum, the tour presented the Cylinder along with 16 other remarkable items that underscored the grandeur and innovations of the Persian empire. Among these was one of the two historical editions of "Cyropaedia," penned by Xenophon, elucidating Cyrus's visionary leadership. This particular edition belonged to President Thomas Jefferson and is now a treasured possession of the Library of Congress, emphasizing the profound influence of Persian governance on the foundational ideas of the United States, with Jefferson as a central figure.
I was honored to serve as an official photographer for this pivotal US tour. My role involved capturing the exquisite details of the artifacts and the ambiance of opening ceremonies and other key events at venues like the Smithsonian, NY MET, and MFA Houston. Beyond merely presenting historical artifacts, the tour functioned as a conduit of cultural diplomacy amid the challenging backdrop of US-Iran relations, accentuating our intertwined heritage and the importance of historical understanding and scholarly engagement.
Wendy Adamson, Senior Museum Assistant at the British Museum, is installing the Cyrus Cylinder.
Installation of the Cyrus Cylinder at the MFA Houston exhibition of "The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia." Dr. John Curtis, Curator of the exhibition and the Keeper of Special Projects at the British Museum; Wendy Adamson, Senior Museum Assistant, the British Museum.
The Cyrus Cylinder, as displayed at the Museum of Fine Arts Houston
Part of a column base, with the Babylonian inscription and the Old Persian inscription of Artaxerxes II (404-359 BC), found at Hamadan, Iran.
Thomas Jefferson's personal copy of Cyropaedia. The book, a bilingual Greek and Latin version published in Europe in 1767, is one of the two copies of Cyropaedia belonging to Thomas Jefferson currently held at the Library of Congress. A contemporary of Socrates, Xenophon wrote about how Cyrus ruled a diverse society based on tolerance.
Gold Achaemenid Persian metalwork 5th-4th centuries BC discovered on the banks of the Oxus River (Amu Darya) in Katanga province of Afghanistan, once part of Bactria. The clothed male figure in profile.
Gold armlet from ancient Persia. Lion-griffin terminals were originally inlaid with precious stones. Jewellery from the Oxus Treasure, Iran, 5th-4th century BC.