When you’re toiling away at your Washington job, running the never-ending treadmill of emails and Tweets and networking and, seriously, the emails, it’s easy to forget to read things for fun or knowledge outside of what you need to know to answer those emails. The political philosophy textbooks of my college days are suddenly a fond memory.

So, this week, I was excited to learn about an important piece of Middle Eastern history–and a piece that’s important to understanding the Middle East today, too. In the 6th century B.C., the Persian Empire–which covers modern-day Iran and much of the Middle East, Western Asia, and Eastern Europe–produced what could be one of the earliest known declarations of religious freedom and human rights in world history. Named for Cyrus the Great, the Cyrus Cylinder not only tells the story of how he overthrew the Babylonians and founded the First Persian Empire, but also proclaimed his policies of religious freedom and tolerance. The words on the baked clay object explain how the benevolent Cyrus the Great helped his new peoples restore their temples and return to their homelands, regardless of their faiths.

The Cyrus Cylinder

You can’t really see Ahmadinejad doing the same, can you?

This special object has rarely left its home at the British Museum since it was  discovered in 1879, but for a limited time, will be on display at Washington’s Sackler Gallery. I covered it in this week’s “Get Out” column, which unfortunately is unavailable online today, but I’ve posted below for your reading pleasure.

My Washington Times column this week, plus my pretty new little computer.

The Washington Times

GET OUT: The Week’s Pocket Picks by Samantha Sault

March 8, 2013

Pick of the Pack

Exhibit: The Cyrus Cylinder & Ancient Persia

Iran today isn’t exactly a beacon of religious freedom and human rights. Yet, in the 6^th century B.C., the Persian Empire produced what could be one of the earliest declarations of such ideals in world history, a baked clay cylinder proclaiming Cyrus the Great’s conquest of Babylon in 539 B.C. Dubbed the Cyrus Cylinder, the artifact’s cuneiform inscription not only tells the story of the new king’s military triumph, but also proclaimed his policies of religious freedom and tolerance. After being on display at the British Museum since 1879, the Cyrus Cylinder and additional items from the Persian Empire have traveled to the United States for the first time, with the first tour stop at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery starting Saturday. Through April 28 at the Smithsonian’s Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, 1050 Independence Ave. SW. 202/633-1000. Web: www.asia.si.edu.

Exhibit: Searching for the Seventies: The DOCUMERICA Photography Project

Today, the Environmental Protection Agency is devoted to regulating carbon emissions via the Clean Air Act, a mandate that has been hotly debated by government and industry. In the 1970s, however, shortly after the agency was founded by President Richard Nixon, it was engaged in a slightly less controversial project: building a collection of photos capturing America’s environment. From 1971 to 1977, the EPA sponsored DOCUMERICA, which recruited some 70 photographers to document important environmental issues, life in the diverse landscapes of our vast country, and with it, the changing social climate of the 1970s.The result is a time capsule of color photographs capturing everything from urban junk yards and pollution, to everyday life for Appalachian coal miners and Colorado migrant workers, to the beauty of the national parks, along with the changing fashion trends, hair styles, economy and social norms of the era. The National Archives will display the photos in a new exhibit, which opens Friday with a lecture about another 1970s relic, “Free to Be…You and Me,” the popular children’s record and book encouraging a rejection of gender stereotypes. Through Sept. 8 at the National Archives, 9^th Street NW & Constitution Ave. 202/357-5000. Web: www.archives.gov.

Concert: Connor Christian & Southern Gothic

If you have a yearning for some roots-rock country this weekend, head to the Hamilton on Friday evening for Connor Christian and Southern Gothic, a band making a name for itself for its well-traveled sound yet distinctly American spirit. When he was 14 years old, Connor Christian left home with his guitar and a backpack to travel the world and learn about music. He ended up in Atlanta, and met his bandmates Shawn Thacker, a drummer inspired by both Kiss and the southern sounds of the banjo and fiddle, and Joe Abramson, a Washington, D.C., native who plays bass. Today, the band also includes Elena Martin, a classically trained violinist from Soviet Siberia who plays the fiddle, and Jeff Spirko, who plays a variety of instruments to round out the sound. The band, which has played with everyone from Tim McGraw and Willie Nelson to STYX and ZZ Top, led the Billboard Heatseeker Chart last week, so catch them while you can. Friday at Hill Country Barbecue, 410 7^th Street NW. 202/556-2050. Web: www.hillcountrywdc.com. 

Travel: Travel & Adventure Show

If the sequester threatens to stall your travel plans indefinitely, then this weekend’s Travel and Adventure Show could provide the perfect staycation as you’ll be able to travel around the world, see exotic performances and even take a scuba diving or fly fishing lesson without ever leaving the Washington Convention Center. If you are planning a trip, you’ll have the opportunity to peruse hundreds of travel exhibitors, from Atlantic City and Alaska to Zara Tanzania Adventures, which specializes in African safaris and treks up Mount Kilimanjaro. The show will also feature lectures by travel experts like Rick Steves, Arthur Frommer and Sucheta Rawal on topics ranging from budget travel to volunteer vacations to how to better understand a culture through its cuisine. Saturday and Sunday at the Washington Convention Center, 801 Mount Vernon Place NW. 203/878-2577. Web: www.adventureexpo.com. 

Gala: Molls, Mobsters, & Mammoths

Washington’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company, founded in 1980, continually produces some of the most exciting performances in the country. With its devotion to developing young playwrights and groundbreaking plays, the Woolly Mammoth’s premieres have received over 200 Helen Hayes Award nominations and been performed in 39 states and 12 countries. On Saturday, you can give back to the company by attending its annual gala. Join the theater’s leadership for a swinging good time featuring music by local swing band the Blue Crescent Syncopators, prohibition-era cocktails and a silent auction. If you have enjoyed Woolly’s performances, you’ll want to bid on the opening nights package, which includes tickets to all opening-night performances during the 2013-2014 season plus pre-theater dinners. Saturday at the Fairmont Georgetown, 2401 M Street NW. 202/289-2443. Web: www.woollymammoth.net.

© Copyright 2013 The Washington Times, LLC and Samantha Sault