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Cyrus in the 6IX
September 11, 2021 @ 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm EDT
A Public Discussion on the Installation of a Cyrus the Great Statue in Toronto.
Abstract:
“A significant feature of the Institute’s community activities involved the hosting “Cyrus in the 6ix” public forum, which included 24 speakers supporting the initiative to install a 10-feet bronze statue of Cyrus the Great donated to the City of Toronto by Behnam Ababian. Hailed as a ruler who liberated Jews from captivity in Babylonia in the Old Testament, Cyrus the Great (r. 550-529 BC) has been widely recognized as the originator of a multi-confessional, multi-ethnic, and multi-lingual polity in the ancient world. Also praised by the Greek historians Herodotus, Xenophon, and Ctesias, the 1879 discovery of the “Cyrus Cylinder”–which is considered to be the earliest expression of the concept of human rights–reinforced the scholarly view of Cyrus as an exemplary ruler of the ancient world.
A 10-foot bronze statue of Cyrus the Great donated to the City of Toronto for installation in a suitable public space is a way to bring the legacy of Cyrus into a dynamic relationship with Canadian multiculturalism.
Following an inspiring and supportive meeting with Mayor John Tory concerning the statue, this public discussion is intended to gauge the level of support for installing the Cyrus statue in a suitable site in Toronto.”