Vortrag: Hossein Badamchi

Über den Vortrag (in englischer Sprache)
The Cyrus Cylinder contains a decree issued by Cyrus the Great following his conquest of Babylon in the early fall of 539 BCE. From a literary perspective, this inscription falls within the category of royal commemorative inscriptions. Historiographically, such inscriptions often present a one-sided account of history, marked by exaggeration and a strong emphasis on official ideology rather than objective historical facts.
This presentation explores a fundamental question: Were the measures described in the Cyrus Cylinder merely royal propaganda, or did they reflect a genuine governance policy? Furthermore, it examines whether contemporary or near-contemporary sources provide evidence for the actual implementation of these measures.
The discussion begins with an analysis of the Cylinder’s content and the governance policies attributed to Cyrus. It then investigates his religious policies by drawing on cuneiform records, Hebrew biblical accounts, and Greek historical narratives. Ultimately, this study seeks to determine whether Cyrus’s claims—such as his peaceful entry into Babylon and his support for existing religious traditions—are substantiated by contemporary sources or whether they primarily served as part of Achaemenid ideological discourse.

Über den Redener
Hossein Badamchi ist Professor für die Geschichte des Alten Orients an der Universität Teheran. Nach dem Studium der Rechtswissenschaften und Geschichte im Iran studierte er Assyriologie und Keilschriftrecht an der Johns Hopkins University. Von 2017 bis 2019 war er mit einem Humboldt-Forschungsstipendium für fortgeschrittene Wissenschaftler Gast am Institut für Rechtsgeschichte der Goethe-Univrsität bei Guido Pfeifer. Badamchi hat u. a. die iranische Übersetzung der Gesetze von Hammurabi und die Inschrift des Kyros-Zylinder herausgegeben, was eine breitere Rezeption der beiden in Keilschrift verfassten Texte ermöglichte.

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