( CNN ) -- The Cyrus Cylinder is a small unprepossessing barrel-shaped clay cylinder inscribed in enigmatic-looking cuneiform , and yet is one of the most iconic objects in the unparalleled world collection housed at the British Museum . It is an object with many meanings and provides a link to a past that we all share and to a key moment in history that has shaped the world around us . As such it is an object of international significance and is about to start a tour of five major U.S. museums , debuting at the Smithsonian 's Arthur M. Sackler Gallery in Washington in March 2013 . The tour is supported by the Iran Heritage Foundation . The Cylinder was buried under the walls of Babylon around 539 B.C . after the Persian king Cyrus had captured the city . It describes how Cyrus was able to defeat the Babylonian king Nabonidus with the aid of the Babylonian god Marduk , who had run out of patience with Nabonidus and his shortcomings . Once he had entered the city , Cyrus did not burn it to the ground ( as usually happened with conquered cities at this period ) but he freed the population from forced labor obligations , sent back to various shrines statues of gods , and allowed the people who had been brought to Babylon by the Babylonian kings to return to their homes . By this act , he was effectively allowing people to pursue unmolested their own religious practices . TED.com : The history of our world in 18 minutes . After it had been buried , the cylinder lay undisturbed for more than 2,400 years until it was dug up in 1879 by a British Museum excavation led by Hormuzd Rassam . When the Babylonian cuneiform was translated , it was immediately realized that the cylinder had a very special significance . Here was corroboration of one of the best-known stories in the Hebrew Bible , the liberation by Cyrus of the Jews deported to Babylon by Nebuchadnezzar and their return to Jerusalem to build the Second Temple . Although the Jews are not mentioned by name in the cylinder , they clearly must have been among the people allowed to return home at this time , with their temple goods . The cylinder also confirmed existing impressions of Cyrus . In the Hebrew Bible he is variously described as the Lord 's Shepherd and the Messiah , no doubt largely because of his favorable treatment of the Jews . Not only did he allow them to return to Jerusalem , but he also restituted the temple treasures seized by Nebuchadnezzar and provided royal funds to pay for the rebuilding of the temple . TED.com : Revealing the lost codex of Archimedes . In consequence , Cyrus has been favorably viewed by many Jewish writers , not least in the context of the foundation of the state of Israel . But it is not only in the Bible that Cyrus was revered . The Greek author Xenophon made him the subject of a political romance that seeks to establish the principles of good government , and his book `` Cyropaedia '' ( the Education of Cyrus ) is even said to have been consulted by Alexander the Great . In the 18th century `` Cyropaedia '' became required reading for all aspiring politicians , along with works such as `` The Prince '' by Machiavelli , and it certainly influenced the founding fathers of the United States . Thomas Jefferson is said to have owned two copies , one of which will be on view in the Washington exhibition . Amidst so many of democracy 's icons and treasures , even before the discovery of the cylinder , therefore , Cyrus was a role model for many aspiring to govern . As Julian Raby , Tte Dame Jillian Sackler director of the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery and the Freer Gallery of Art , comments `` Cyrus was the very image of a virtuous ruler , so it is apt that the first time it will be seen in the U.S. is in Washington , D.C. '' Just as Cyrus has long been a role model , the cylinder itself has now acquired iconic status for people around the world . It has even been described as the first declaration of human rights , and while this was never the intention of the document -- the modern concept of human rights scarcely existed in the ancient world -- it has come to embody the hopes and aspirations of many . TED.com : Ancient wonders captured in 3D . It has continued to feature in political debate , being the symbol of the celebration of 2,500 years of Iranian monarchy in 1971 , and also celebrated by the Islamic Republic of Iran , as evidenced by its popularity during the recent exhibition in Tehran . The cylinder may still have a role to play on the international stage today . It advocates -- or can be argued to advocate -- religious tolerance and acceptance of diversity , in terms that derive exclusively from Middle Eastern traditions . As such the principles it embodies should be central to debates about the future of the Middle East and other regions . Note : After the display at the Sackler gallery , the Cyrus Cylinder will travel to the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston , The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York ; the Asian Art Museum in San Francisco and will conclude at the J. Paul Getty Museum at the Getty Villa in Los Angeles in October . The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Neil MacGregor .
A clay cylinder found under the walls of Neil MacGregor is a key link to our past . Babylon says the Cyrus Cylinder describes rare act of tolerance . It tells the story of Greek Cyrus Cylinder , who allowed conquered people to return home . MacGregor : King Cyrus will tour five major U.S. museums starting in March .