TEHRAN -- The Nabonidus-Cyrus Chronicle inscription (555-540 BC) was translated into modern Persian for the first time by Iranian archaeoastronomer Reza Moradi Ghiasabadi.

The tablet, which gives a brief year-by-year account of the events during the reign of Nabonidus, the last king of independent Babylonia, is kept at the British Museum.

“The clay tablet was written in neo-Babylonian on the order of Cyrus the Great,” Moradi told the Persian service of CHN on Monday.

“Since a large part of the tablet has been damaged, it’s impossible to read it directly in its entirety. The translation is based on texts of English translations of the tablet. However, I referred to the original Babylonian text of the tablet to accurately spell some of the names,” he added.

“The chronicle, which was discovered in the royal palace of Babylonia, is older than the Cyrus Cylinder (539-530 BC) and had never been translated into Persian till now,” he explained.

The tablet was deciphered and published in English for the first time by D. D. Luckenbill at the University of Chicago in 1926.

Other translations were published by J. B. Pritchard in 1950 and A.K. Grayson in 1975, and the last edition was by C.B.F. Walker in 1982.

“Although the tablet has been damaged and is very short, it is very significant in several ways,” Moradi noted.

“First of all, it’s the most ancient document from the reign of Cyrus the Great. In addition, it is the most ancient record that chronicles Cyrus’s conquest of other countries, including Babylonia. The tablet is also the most ancient text that narrates the invasions of Cyrus and Astyages, the last king of the Median Empire, who was eventually conquered by Cyrus,” he explained.

“The chronicle can be regarded as a valuable teacher. It records history honestly, neutrally, without any exaggeration or understatement, without any insult or praise, even for gods or kings,” he said in conclusion.