Did Cyrus the Great Create Human Rights? @KingsandGenerals

Uploaded July 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago

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Kings and Generals animated historical documentary series on the Ancient Civilizations continues with an on the Cyrus Cylinder. Was the Cyrus Cylinder really the world’s first declaration of human rights, or was it something more calculated? Created after Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in 539 BCE, this famous inscription presents the Persian king as a liberator chosen by Marduk to rescue the city from Nabonidus. This video examines what the Cylinder actually says, why it became so famous, and how its modern reputation was shaped by both the Shah of Iran and the Islamic Republic. We explore its roots in ancient Mesopotamian royal propaganda, the role of Babylonian priests and local gods, and the political bargain that helped Cyrus secure his new conquest. The story also reveals how Achaemenid religious policy worked in practice. Cyrus did not simply tolerate Babylonian traditions. He embraced and financed them, using local elites, temples, and familiar ideas of kingship to stabilize Persian rule. Finally, we investigate the Cylinder’s disputed connection to the end of the Babylonian Exile, the Hebrew Bible, and Cyrus’s reputation as a messiah. The result is a more complicated portrait of Cyrus the Great: not merely a tolerant visionary, but a brilliant imperial statesman who turned conquest into legitimacy and created one of history’s most enduring political messages today.

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The video was made by Lito Areta, while the script was developed by Christos Nicolaou, the video was narrated by Liam Taylor.

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Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: epidemicsound.com

Sources: docs.google.com/document/d/1QlJ_-mzFqnqRkzMisiTvW7Q9oOJzDNseuInmwp6Bx7I/edit?usp=sharing

00:00:00 - The Human Rights Mystery
00:01:45 - Why the Cylinder Became Famous
00:05:38 - Cyrus Conquers Babylon
00:08:45 - An Ancient Propaganda Formula
00:11:59 - How Persia Ruled Through Religion
00:15:21 - Cyrus, Judaism and the Bible
00:17:56 - Liberator, Visionary or Pragmatist?

#documentary #achaemenidempire #cyrusthegreat

Did Cyrus the Great Create Human Rights?

$Nader Shah: Iran’s Last Conqueror - Nader Saves Persia Embark on your mystical journey today! Download Motto Immortal now through my link: https://mottoimmortal.onelink.me/VbhI/rxym6vzc Assemble your pantheon of AI-driven deities and master strategic card battles! Forge your legend across celestial realms - your divine adventure awaits! Join DC & win awesome prizes! https://discord.gg/dqHdry586G Download the game through my link to obtain a Starter Pack reward worth $50 Zodiac Selector * 1 Elysian Gem * 1000 Upgrade Mats Selector(2h) * 3 Kings and Generals animated historical series on the history of early modern period, Iranian and Muslim empires continues with a video on the rise of Nader Shah during the late stages of the Safavid empire. History remembers many conquerors, but few were compared—at once—to Alexander the Great and Napoleon. This episode begins the story of Nader Shah, the warlord who rose from obscurity on Iran’s volatile northeastern frontier to become the decisive military force of his age. First, we set the stage: the Safavid Empire at the turn of the 18th century—economically strained, politically fractured, and weakened by ineffective rulers and feuding elites—just as Afghan revolts ignite along the eastern borders. Into this collapse steps Nadergulu of the Afsharid Qizilbash, forged by poverty, raids, and frontier warfare. As the Afghans sack cities and the Safavid state implodes after the surrender of 1722, Nader exploits the vacuum—rewarding submission, crushing resistance, and turning local struggles into a growing professional army. When the Safavid pretender Shah Tahmasp II enters the scene, Nader becomes kingmaker and commander, navigating betrayal and legitimacy while focusing on the existential Afghan threat. The episode culminates with the campaign and Battle of Herat (1729), where Nader’s tactics, discipline, and firepower reshape the balance—setting up the coming march west toward Isfahan. 🎥 Watch 250+ exclusive videos on ✔ Youtube ► https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMmaBzfCCwZ2KqaBJjkj0fw/join or ✔ Patreon ► https://www.patreon.com/kingsandgenerals More videos on the history of Iran and the Middle East: Were the Eastern Romans and Arabs Always at War?: https://youtu.be/nBMP6yRAOZg Great Schism Between Greek and Latin Christianity: https://youtu.be/a6rWf0k8d78 How Islam Split into the Sunni and Shia Branches: https://youtu.be/-85dXjgMiSU Rise of the Cossacks: https://youtu.be/UQ_ocyTRRIE Crusades From the Muslim Perspective: https://youtu.be/t8RZtYvW02g Early Muslim Expansion - Yarmouk, Al-Qadisiyyah: https://youtu.be/r2cEIDZwG5M Early Muslim Expansion - Egypt and Iran: https://youtu.be/baHT2nR5Wr4 Muslim Schism: https://youtu.be/-85dXjgMiSU Third Crusade: https://youtu.be/jCyCSgsFXKQ Fourth Crusade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Vp_IENiSnA&list=PLaBYW76inbX4ZjR4rodOOSc-zL1orP4hW First Crusade: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkyYjpYLORI&list=PLaBYW76inbX6RqjG027zLO_svn3Fdv7Qa Sultanate of Women in the Ottoman Empire: https://youtu.be/OEzS8D4IidA How the German Empire Provoked Ottoman Jihad in WWI: https://youtu.be/8LCpbgVx9kY Ottoman Battles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txyqS5yuw30&list=PLaBYW76inbX5BKGRPzlqdztQySZmJLjJt Why the Ottomans Never Colonized America: https://youtu.be/lM_Wzt_Z228 Why the Ottoman Sultans Killed their Brothers: https://youtu.be/vN7LgUIOAVw Cem Sultan: Ottoman Prince in the Heart of Europe: https://youtu.be/3w9POQMt5jk Ottoman Pirates: https://youtu.be/5jguevSDIuY Turkification of Anatolia: https://youtu.be/JBgq1taoUsY Hashashins: https://youtu.be/vG8qmlKdRjs The video was made by Talha Sial, while the script was researched and written by Turgut Gambar. This video was narrated by Officially Devin (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCU0-VII-V376zFxiRGMeZGg & https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC79s7EdN9uXX77-Ly2HmEjQ). The art was created by Nargiz Isaeva. Machinimas made using Total War: Empire engine. ✔ Podcast ► http://www.kingsandgenerals.net/podcast/ ✔ Twitter ► https://twitter.com/KingsGenerals ✔ Facebook ► https://www.facebook.com/KingsGenerals ✔ Instagram ►http://www.instagram.com/Kings_Generals Bibliography: https://docs.google.com/document/d/11IfP-yNaTgEdZmpF9Th_DmsRTMSNQvZ-18pU7TtWvQY/edit?usp=sharing 00:00:00 - The Last Great Conqueror of Iran 00:02:08 - The Late Safavid Empire in Decline 00:04:06 - Nader’s Background and Rise to Power 00:08:30 - The Afghan Debacle and Safavid Collapse 00:11:33 - Chaos as a Ladder: Building an Army 00:14:04 - Shah Tahmasp II and Court Intrigue 00:17:46 - Battle of Herat: Firepower vs Cavalry 00:20:26 - What Comes Next: Isfahan and the Ottomans Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound: http://www.epidemicsound.com #Documentary #NaderShah #Safavid$

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