Photo Credit: Prioryman (CC BY-SA 3.0) Wikimedia Commons

Post 20 – Discovered in the ruins of ancient Babylon, the “Cyrus Cylinder” is one of the most important discoveries in Biblical archeology. It describes how Cyrus, founder of the Persian empire, entered Babylon without a fight. It details his humane and generous policy of repatriating the captive peoples of Babylon to their homes. Cyrus also boasts of returning sacred items to their sanctuaries and of restoring various temples. Although the cylinder does not specifically refer to the Jews, the picture it paints of Cyrus and his policies harmonizes perfectly with Ezra chapter 1. Today the famous cylinder may be seen in the British Museum. #weeklybiblereadingarcheology #biblereadingarcheology #biblereadingarchaeology