Further delays to loan of Cyrus Cylinder to Iran
British Museum says more in-depth academic research is required
Research into the Cyrus Cylinder is “ongoing indefinitely”, according to a spokeswoman for the British Museum (BM).
She said connections to the cuneiform text on the cylinder had been discovered on fossilised horse bones in the Palace Museum in Beijing, which will require in-depth, academic exploration.
The BM was due to loan the cylinder to the National Museum of Iran in Tehran for an exhibition in January, but delayed the arrangement following the discovery of fragments of cuneiform tablet in the BM’s collections that were found to be inscribed with the same text as the cylinder.
The fragments, along with the horse bones, were the subject of a two-day workshop at the museum in June, at which 45 experts from around the world gathered to discuss their significance.
The BM’s spokeswoman said: “We are still hoping for the loan to go ahead, and it is still being considered by the trustees.”
A report on the Iranian state-owned Press TV website quoted Hamid Baghaei, head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation, as saying: “The National Museum of Iran has spent about $300,000 on the exhibition and will demand our loss be compensated for by the British Museum.”
The BM spokeswoman said that it had seen the report but the museum had never received a formal request for compensation.
When Museums Journal contacted the London embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a spokesman said he was not sure if the press reports about the demand for compensation were true, but confirmed that the British Museum was in contact with Baghaei.
Image: Inscriptions on the Cyrus Cylinder
She said connections to the cuneiform text on the cylinder had been discovered on fossilised horse bones in the Palace Museum in Beijing, which will require in-depth, academic exploration.
The BM was due to loan the cylinder to the National Museum of Iran in Tehran for an exhibition in January, but delayed the arrangement following the discovery of fragments of cuneiform tablet in the BM’s collections that were found to be inscribed with the same text as the cylinder.
The fragments, along with the horse bones, were the subject of a two-day workshop at the museum in June, at which 45 experts from around the world gathered to discuss their significance.
The BM’s spokeswoman said: “We are still hoping for the loan to go ahead, and it is still being considered by the trustees.”
A report on the Iranian state-owned Press TV website quoted Hamid Baghaei, head of Iran’s Cultural Heritage, Handicrafts and Tourism Organisation, as saying: “The National Museum of Iran has spent about $300,000 on the exhibition and will demand our loss be compensated for by the British Museum.”
The BM spokeswoman said that it had seen the report but the museum had never received a formal request for compensation.
When Museums Journal contacted the London embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a spokesman said he was not sure if the press reports about the demand for compensation were true, but confirmed that the British Museum was in contact with Baghaei.
Image: Inscriptions on the Cyrus Cylinder