By 
Neil MacGregor
 | 
TED Stage Talk

2600 years of history in one object

A clay cylinder covered in Akkadian cuneiform script, damaged and broken, the Cyrus Cylinder is a powerful symbol of religious tolerance and multi-culturalism. In this enthralling talk Neil MacGregor, Director of the British Museum, traces 2600 years of Middle Eastern history through this single object.

Related tags:

culture
global issues
history
archaeology
TED is supported by ads and partners

Watch next

5:39
Robert Chang
The dark history of the Chinese Exclusion Act
5:05
Francis de los Reyes
A brief history of toilets
4:53
Sheila Marie Orfano
Can you trust your memory?
5:07
Susan M. Reverby
Ugly History: The US syphilis experiment
4:57
Mark Robinson
A day in the life of the Oracle of Delphi
5:07
Soraya Field Fiorio
The epic of Gilgamesh, the king who tried to conquer death
4:59
Alex Gendler
The woman who stared at the sun
6:33
Feras Fayyad
The real-life superheroes helping Syrian refugees
5:12
Gary Devore
Run, sail or hide? How to survive the destruction of Pompeii
5:07
Orisanmi Burton
What really happened during the Attica Prison Rebellion
4:57
Alex Gendler
How one design flaw almost toppled a skyscraper
5:11
Ilan Stavans
Who decides what's in the dictionary?
5:15
Alex Gendler
Demolition, disease, and death: Building the Panama Canal
5:08
Erick Wilberding
This tool will help improve your critical thinking
12:44
Marcos Aguiar
7 tools for building a business people trust
4:46
Brian A. Pavlac
A brief history of the devil
4:39
Kayla Wolf
Why every world map is wrong
5:24
Kayla Wolf
Ugly History: The Spanish Inquisition