Arts & Entertainment

Getty Villa Adds Saturday Evening Hours to 'Cyrus Cylinder' Exhibit

The Getty Villa will remain open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays from Oct. 12 – Nov. 30.

In anticipation of the popularity of The Cyrus Cylinder and Ancient Persia: A New Beginning, the Getty Villa will add Saturday evening hours during the run of the exhibition.

From Oct. 12 to Nov. 30, the Getty Villa will remain open until 9 p.m. on Saturdays, providing additional opportunities to see  the Persian King’s clay document, on loan from the British Museum.

Inscribed on the orders of the Persian King Cyrus II (ruled 559–530 B.C.), the cylinder recounts how he conquered the city of Babylon in 539 B.C. and instituted reforms throughout the region, restoring sanctuaries that had become dilapidated and permitting exiled peoples to return home. 

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Often referred to as the first “bill of human rights,” the clay cylinder provides critical contemporary background to Cyrus’s reputation as a benevolent ruler in ancient Greek and biblical texts, and bears witness to the multi-ethnic nature of the expanding Achaemenid Empire, which introduced innovative forms of writing, religion, and luxury goods to the Near East.

In addition to the Cyrus Cylinder, the exhibition includes a number of related objects that highlight the artistic, cultural, and historical achievements of the Achaemenid Empire of Iran, including architectural fragments, finely carved seals, and gold jewelry, vessels, and other luxury objects from the Oxus Treasure.

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Admission to the Getty Villa and The Cyrus Cylinder And Ancient Persia: A New Beginning is free, but advance timed tickets are required. Tickets are available now at www.getty.edu/visit or by calling (310) 440-7300. Parking is $15; $10 after 5 p.m. on Saturdays. With the Getty’s “Pay Once, Park Twice” program, visitors to both the Getty Center and the Getty Villa on the same day pay only one parking fee, using a special coupon obtained at the Information Desk of the first museum visited.

 


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