Essays on human rights history, told through story, metaphor, and the ancient art of narrative.
In a meadow by the Thames in 1215, armed barons surrounded a tyrant king with a list of demands written on parchment. What happened next—a royal seal pressed into wax—cracked the foundation of absolute power forever.
The Ancient ChorusAn emperor stands on a battlefield where 100,000 lie dead by his command. What Ashoka does next—carving his sorrow into stone pillars across India—will echo for 2,300 years. This is a story about the moment power sees its own horror.
The Ancient ChorusA baked clay cylinder buried beneath Babylon for 2,500 years holds a secret: that a conqueror once chose mercy over vengeance. This is the story of the Cyrus Cylinder, and what happens when power chooses restraint.
The Ancient ChorusIntroducing our mission to document and advocate for human rights worldwide