Famous Musical Instruments: The Lyres of Ur

Blogger: Amber Lemus

Continuing with our series of famous musical instruments in history, today we travel to ancient Mesopotamia, or modern-day Iraq. 

In 1929, a team of archeologists from the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archeology teamed up to excavate the site of the Royal Cemetery at the site of ancient Ur. Under the leadership of head archaeologist Leonard Woolley, they made some astounding discoveries, which included the remains of ten women, and among them, fragments of four lyres. Well, technically three lyres and one harp. (In case we have any harp aficionados reading here.)

Leonard Woolley holding the hardened plaster mold
of the Queen's Lyre during excavations in 1922
Public Domain

The archeologists carefully excavated the fragments and then reconstructed and restored them to their former glory. Historians have dated the instruments to the Early Dynastic III Period of Mesopotamia, which makes them over 4,500 years old and the world's oldest surviving stringed instruments. 

Records indicated that one of the woman's remains seemed to have been placed leaning against the lyre, with her hand where the strings would have been. The lyres were made of wood, which had long since deteriorated, however since they were decorated with non-perishable adornments, such as silver and gold, the archaeologists were able to poor plaster into the mold where the wood had previously been and recreate the form.  

The four harps were similar, but distinct. 

The Golden Lyre

The Golden Lyre of Ur
Photo By Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin FRCP(Glasg)
Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

This is the finest of the lyres discovered. It's wooden form was reconstructed but then damaged during the Second Iraq War. A replica of it now belongs to the Iraq Museum in Bagdad and is part of a traveling ensemble. It is also known as the "Bull Harp" because it features a bull head made entirely out of gold. The eyes of the bull were made out of inlaid nacre, and the beard of the animal from lapis lazuli, which is a deep blue semi-precious stone. 

The Queen's Lyre

The Queen's Lyre
Photo By Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
 FRCP(Glasg) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0,

The Queen's Lyre is similar in appearance to the Golden Lyre, however it is named such because it was excavated from the tomb of Queen Pu-abi. It is also designed to imitate the body of a bull and has a bull head. However, only the mask of the bull was made of gold and the eyes, hair and beard are all made of the lapis lazuli. There are some minor differences in the appearance of the two bull heads as well. The Queen's Lyre is held at the British Museum in London. 

The Bull-Headed Lyre

Bull Headed Lyre of Ur
Photo By Binxedits - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

Again, we see a theme here. This lyre also features a bull head. It's head, face and horns were all wrapped in gold foil, while its beard, hair and eyes were made of lapis lazuli. What is most interesting about this one, is that below the bull's head is a panel that depicts four scenes of what appears to be their religious lore. To me, it is very reminiscent of Egyptian Mythology. This lyre is housed in Philidelphia Pennsylvania at the Penn Museum. 

The Silver Lyre

The Silver Lyre of Ur
Photo By Osama Shukir Muhammed Amin
FRCP(Glasg) - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0

This one is different, because it is overlaid with silver rather than gold. However it still features the bull head as the others do. It was made of wood but covered in sheets of silver that were fastened with silver nails. The eyes were made of lapis lazuli also. Another notable difference is that this bull does not have a beard, and because of this, some speculate that it is actually a cow rather than a bull. This harp was found in the section of the cemetery that was known as the "Great Death Pitt." It is held by the British Museum in London. 

Depiction of a Lyre Player from the excavations of Ur
Photo Courtesy of the British Museum Collection,
CC BY-SA 4.0

Besides the fact that these are the oldest surviving stringed instruments in history, I also found these interesting because they come from the ancient city of Ur. As Christians, we will recognize that city from the Bible when God called Abraham out of the city of Ur and beckoned him to leave his family and all that he knew to pursue a personal relationship with God. 

Which lyre is your favorite? 

*****

Two-time winner of the Christian Indie Award for historical fiction, Amber Lemus inspires hearts through enthralling tales She has a passion for travel, history, books and her Savior. This combination results in what her readers call "historical fiction at its finest".  

She lives near the Ozarks in her "casita" with her prince charming. Between enjoying life as a boy mom, and spinning stories out of soap bubbles, Amber loves to connect with readers and hang out on Goodreads with other bookish peoples.

Amber is a proud member of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association. Visit her online at http://www.amberlemus.com/  and download a FREE story by subscribing to her Newsletter!

A Guitar By Any Other Name...

By Kathy Kovach

My dad taught me how to play the guitar when I was a teenager. He had been in a band in his youth, playing mostly country and western, but also the swing music of his generation. He was gifted. I’m mediocre. But that’s neither here nor there. I mostly “seconded” him, strumming chords while he jammed out on “In the Mood” and “Your Cheatin’ Heart”.

Where did this versatile instrument come from? Who first thought of stringing a piece of wood (or shell, or animal skin) to perform everything from foot-stomping melodies to awe-inspiring classical music?

The word itself, guitar, more than likely came from the ancient Greek word kithara. Mythology attributes Hermes as the inventor, but images of Apollo have also been seen of him playing this instrument made from a tortoise shell. It is closely related to the lyre.

Instrument made with tortoise shell

Kithara

Lyre

Moving away from the harp-like shape, variations of the lute began to appear. The first having its origins in medieval Persia before the 5th century. The oud was fashioned from aloe wood as opposed to sheep’s belly of the earlier instruments. In Arabic, the word ud means “wood”. A neck and sound holes were added somewhere around 700 AD in ancient Al-Andalus, or present-day Andalusia, a region in Spain then made up primarily of Muslims. These additions produced a rich tone that was maintained throughout subsequent modifications.

Lute

Oud

The lute grew in popularity throughout the Renaissance Period, but by the 16th century, a new design was adopted, one that we use in some form today. The vihuela was made thinner than the bulbous, gourd shape of earlier instruments and an hourglass design made it easier to play. It used twelve strings, and while the tone had a beautiful, ethereal quality, it was hard to tune. Enter the Baroque guitar produced in Spain a century later. With only four to six strings, it still maintained the musical range of its predecessors, but became more popular because of its ease.

Vihuela

Baroque

By 1890, the extravagant shapes of earlier stringed instruments gave way to the modern guitar. Spanish guitarist Antonio Torres Jurado crafted the first acoustic guitar popularly known as the “modern classical guitar”. Its design allows the music to resonate in, through, and outside the body of the guitar using steel or copper strings as opposed to gut strings of the earlier imaginings. In 1936, the Gibson Guitar Corporation produced the first acoustic amplified guitar and four years later physics professor Sidney Wilson created the first fully electric instrument, a solid piece that didn’t need sound holes for resonance.

Antonio de Torres

Gibson ES-150

In 1954, the Mercedez Benz of guitars, the Stratocaster, became the elitist’s instrument of choice.

Stratocaster

I’ll forever be grateful to my dad for instilling in me the love of music and, specifically, the ability to play this beautiful, and historically rich instrument. The guitar has provided so much joy, for myself and many generations—past, present, and future. 

My dad

Titanic: Legacy of Betrayal

A TIME-SLIP NOVEL

A secret. A key. Much was buried on the Titanic, but now it's time for resurrection.

Follow two intertwining stories a century apart. 1912 - Matriarch Olive Stanford protects a secret after boarding the Titanic that must go to her grave. 2012 - Portland real estate agent Ember Keaton-Jones receives the key that will unlock the mystery of her past... and her distrusting heart.

To buy: Amazon

Kathleen E. Kovach is a Christian romance author published traditionally through Barbour Publishing, Inc. as well as indie. Kathleen and her husband, Jim, raised two sons while living the nomadic lifestyle for over twenty years in the Air Force. Now planted in northeast Colorado, she's a grandmother and a great-grandmother—though much too young for either. Kathleen has been a longstanding member of American Christian Fiction Writers. An award-winning author, she presents spiritual truths with a giggle, proving herself as one of God's peculiar people.

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