King Cyrus' Cylinder

 　　NB: This is not a word for word transcript¹

　　Yvonne: Hello, I'm Yvonne Archer², this is 6 Minute English and thanks to Alice for

　　joining me today.

　　Alice: Hi Yvonne.

　　Yvonne: Hello Alice. Now recently, an artefact - a very old piece of art - which many

　　historians regard as the world's first ever human rights charter was on loan

　　for a while from the British Museum to the National Iranian Museum in

　　Tehran.

　　Alice: Very interesting.

　　Yvonne: It is, and it's small, it’s made of clay and is a cylindrical³ shape. And the Cyrus

　　Cylinder⁴, as it's often called, is two and a half thousand years old!

　　Alice: That’s very old. Is it still in perfect shape?

　　Yvonne: I think it is, yes. But before we find out more, you'd better answer today's

　　question, Alice.

　　Alice: OK - I’m ready and waiting.

　　Yvonne: Very good. Which country does the British Museum's oldest artefact come

　　from?

　　a) Benin

　　b) Iraq or

　　c) Tanzania

　　Alice: I’ve got no idea - so I’m going to guess …Tanzania.

　　Yvonne: OK. And I’ll tell you whether you’re right or wrong later on in today’s “6

　　Minute English”. King Cyrus of Persia, now Iran, ordered the cylinder to be

　　inscribed⁵ way back in 539 BC. Alice, can you explain how an inscription⁶ is

　　different from writing for us, please?

　　Alice: Sure. When we write, it's usually on the surface of something with ink - or with

　　graphite if we’re using a pencil. But King Cyrus's words were 'inscribed', so

　　they were engraved⁷ - or carved - into the surface of the cylinder. And we can

　　actually feel the writing with our fingers if we touch the inscription, not just

　　look at it.

　　Yvonne: And here's BBC Front Row presenter⁸, John Wilson, to tell us what is inscribed

　　on the Cyrus Cylinder:

　　Insert 1: John Wilson, BBC Front Row

　　This object records how he liberated⁹ the city of Babylon from tyranny, how he freed and

　　repatriated¹⁰ enslaved people. And how he decreed that all the people of Babylon should

　　be allowed to practice their own religion and culture.

　　Yvonne: The little clay object records - or tells us - how King Cyrus liberated the city of

　　Babylon from tyranny. Now there's a word we don't hear too often! Alice, can

　　you explain what is 'tyranny' is for us, please?

　　Alice: Well, 'tyranny' is a type of behaviour that is cruel, oppressive and very unfair.

　　For example, we might hear a dictator described as 'tyrannical'. So freeing the

　　city of Babylon from tyranny is generally thought to have been a good thing.

　　Yvonne: As we heard, King Cyrus freed the enslaved people and sent them back to their

　　homes - he repatriated them. And what about that word 'decreed' - that's

　　another old fashioned and rather formal word, isn't it?

　　Alice: Yes, it is. If a ruler decrees something, he or she makes it officially known that

　　it is now law. And King Cyrus of Persia decreed that people should be allowed

　　to practice their own religion and culture.

　　Yvonne: The cylinder was on display in Tehran for about seven months and during that

　　time, about two million people went to see it. Here's what one exhibition

　　visitor told John Wilson about the artefact:

　　Insert 2: Woman in National Iranian Museum and John Wilson

　　Woman: Iran was the centre of the world so many years ago but nowadays, we're left

　　apart. In our schools and universities, they don't talk about these things.

　　John Wilson: Because it's part of the pre-Islamic history?

　　Woman: Yeah.

　　Yvonne: The woman says that Iran was the centre of the world many years ago.

　　Alice: So in her view, at one point, Iran was the most important country in the world.

　　6 Minute English ? bbclearningenglish.com 2011

　　Page 4 of 6

　　Yvonne: Mm. She says they don't talk about things like the Cyrus Cylinder in schools or

　　universities in Iran because it's an object from a time when the country wasn't

　　yet the Islamic Republic of Iran.

　　Alice: Yes, as she puts it, it's part of their pre-Islamic history, which isn’t often

　　talked about.

　　Yvonne: Well, despite the fact that Britain and Iran don't engage much politically, they

　　were able to agree on this exhibition after some discussion. As Neil

　　MacGregor, director of the British Museum explains, that has been important:

　　Insert 3 – Neil MacGregor, Director, British Museum

　　In this context there have been conversations between British diplomats¹¹ and Iranian

　　diplomats about human rights. So the exhibition itself doesn’t address these big issues of

　　the relationship, what it does do is create a space in which difficult conversations can

　　take place.

　　Yvonne: OK Alice, it's time to answer today's question! Which country does the British

　　Museum's oldest artefact come from?

　　Alice: And I said Tanzania.

　　Yvonne: And you were right! Hey!

　　Alice: Incredible. Pure luck! How old is it?

　　Yvonne: It’s actually 1.8 million years old, and it’s a stone tool that was made by man.

　　Now as your reward, Alice, you get to remind us of some of today’s language.

　　Alice: With pleasure:

　　an artefact

　　inscribed

　　tyranny

　　repatriated

　　exhibition

　　Yvonne: Now that’s all we’ve got time for - but do join us again soon for more "6

　　Minute English".

　　Both: Goodbye!

1 transcript   

n.抄本，誊本，副本，肄业证书

参考例句：

• A transcript of the tapes was presented as evidence in court.一份录音带的文字本作为证据被呈交法庭。
• They wouldn't let me have a transcript of the interview.他们拒绝给我一份采访的文字整理稿。

2 archer   

n.射手，弓箭手

参考例句：

• The archer strung his bow and aimed an arrow at the target.弓箭手拉紧弓弦将箭瞄准靶子。
• The archer's shot was a perfect bull's-eye.射手的那一箭正中靶心。

3 cylindrical   

adj.圆筒形的

参考例句：

• huge cylindrical gas tanks 巨大的圆柱形贮气罐
• Beer cans are cylindrical. 啤酒罐子是圆筒形的。

4 cylinder   

n.圆筒，柱(面)，汽缸

参考例句：

• What's the volume of this cylinder?这个圆筒的体积有多少？
• The cylinder is getting too much gas and not enough air.汽缸里汽油太多而空气不足。

5 inscribed   

v.写，刻( inscribe的过去式和过去分词 )；内接

参考例句：

• His name was inscribed on the trophy. 他的名字刻在奖杯上。
• The names of the dead were inscribed on the wall. 死者的名字被刻在墙上。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 inscription   

n.（尤指石块上的）刻印文字，铭文，碑文

参考例句：

• The inscription has worn away and can no longer be read.铭文已磨损，无法辨认了。
• He chiselled an inscription on the marble.他在大理石上刻碑文。

7 engraved   

v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中）

参考例句：

• The silver cup was engraved with his name. 银杯上刻有他的名字。
• It was prettily engraved with flowers on the back. 此件雕刻精美，背面有花饰图案。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 presenter   

n.（电视、广播的）主持人，赠与者

参考例句：

• Most people think being a television presenter is exciting.很多人认为当电视节目主持人是一件刺激的事情。
• The programme dispensed with its most popular presenter.这个节目最受欢迎的主持人被换掉了。

9 liberated   

a.无拘束的，放纵的

参考例句：

• The city was liberated by the advancing army. 军队向前挺进，解放了那座城市。
• The heat brings about a chemical reaction, and oxygen is liberated. 热量引起化学反应，释放出氧气。

10 repatriated   

v.把（某人）遣送回国，遣返( repatriate的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• The refugees were forcibly repatriated. 难民被强制遣送回国。
• Ancient artworks were repatriated from the US to Greece. 古代艺术品从美国遣送回希腊。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 diplomats   

n.外交官( diplomat的名词复数 )；有手腕的人，善于交际的人

参考例句：

• These events led to the expulsion of senior diplomats from the country. 这些事件导致一些高级外交官被驱逐出境。
• The court has no jurisdiction over foreign diplomats living in this country. 法院对驻本国的外交官无裁判权。 来自《简明英汉词典》