The ancient empires are gone, but one emperor still has birthday celebrations more than 2,600 years after his death: Cyrus the Great. The international celebration for Cyrus is October 29 — actually the anniversary of his arrival in Babylon.
Cyrus founded Persia’s Achaemenid Dynasty, united the Medes and Persians and ruled a vast area from the Indus River to the Mediterranean Sea.
He is still celebrated today, though, for the values proclaimed on this clay cylinder found in 1879. It commemorated the capture of Babylon and recorded Cyrus’ commands to allow religious freedom and forbid slavery.
It is called history’s first charter of human rights.