I wanted to comment on the Cyrus cylinder article.
http://iranpoliticsclub.net/history/cyr ... /index.htm
Before there were,
Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776 AD)
U.S. Declaration of Independence (1776 AD)
French Declaration of The rights of Man and Citizen (1782 AD)
U.S. Bill of Rights (1789 AD)
League of Nations (1920 - 1946)
United Nation (1945 - Present)
A couple of points about this:
First, a reminder that a copy of the Cyrus cylinder exists within the UN building. So, indeed the Cyrus cylinder is recognized as the first charter of human rights, well before those other works.
Second, some hold that the US Founding Fathers were heavily influenced by the Persians, and specifically by Cyrus. Xenophon’s Cyropedia was widely read among them. Therefore, one may assert that the Declaration of Independence and parts of the Constitution were extensions of a foundation: the Cyrus cylinder. In that, those brilliant pieces of works went beyond the Cyrus cylinder, since man had progressed extensively in those 2300 years. Surprisingly, those otherwise beautiful documents fell short of the Cyrus cylinder on one fundamental issue: the issue of slavery.
It amazes me that an ancient document from 2500 years ago addressed slavery, yet a relatively recent and far more complex document such as the DI from 200 years ago did not. I’ve always been both an admirer and a critic of the DI since I read it in high school. I admire it because it is a magnificent piece of work. Its greatest shortcoming, however, is that it did not address slavery because of the political climate of the time. In that respect it failed miserably, although it did achieve its intended effect of inspiring American independence.