Yvonne: Hello, I'm Yvonne Archer, 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 cylindrical shape. And the Cyrus

　　Cylinder, 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

　　inscribed way back in 539 BC. Alice, can you explain how an inscription 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 engraved - 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 presenter, John Wilson, to tell us what is inscribed

　　on the Cyrus Cylinder:

　　Insert 1: John Wilson, BBC Front Row

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

　　repatriated 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

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　　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 diplomats 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!