Thousands of years ago in ancient Persia, King Cyrus the Great conquered Babylon in Mesopotamia. Afterwards, in ancient cuneiform, his court documented the peaceful conquest in a clay cylinder.

The Cyrus Cylinder is one of the oldest and most important  documents in the history of humankind. For over a century it's been on display at the British Museum in London. But now, for the first ever, you can see it yourself right here in Los Angeles.

KPCC's Kevin Ferguson went to the Getty Villa in Malibu, where the Cyrus Cylinder is on display now through December. He talked with Dr. Timothy Potts, director of the Getty and the British Museum's John Curtis.