LYRES
OF UR
![](Ur_lyre.jpg)
Detail
of the "Peace" panel of the Standard of Ur showing lyrist,
excavated from the same site as the Lyres of Ur
The
Lyres of Ur or Harps of Ur are considered to be the world's second
oldest surviving stringed instruments after the ones discovered
in the Maykop culture. In 1929, archaeologists led by the British
archaeologist Leonard Woolley, representing a joint expedition of
the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of
Archaeology and Anthropology, discovered the instruments when excavating
the Royal Cemetery of Ur between from 1922 and 1934. They discovered
pieces of three lyres and one harp in Ur, located in what was Ancient
Mesopotamia and is contemporary Iraq. They are over 4,500 years
old, from ancient Mesopotamia during the Early Dynastic III Period
(2550–2450 BC). The decorations on the lyres are fine examples
of the court art of Mesopotamia of the period.
Leonard
Woolley discovered the lyres amongst the bodies of ten women in
the Royal cemetery at Ur. One body was even said to be lying against
the lyre with her skeletal hand placed where the strings would have
been.Upon this discovery, Woolley was quick to pour in a liquid
plaster to recover the delicate form of the wooden frame. The wood
of the lyres was decayed but since some were covered in nonperishable
materials, like gold and silver, they were able to be recovered.
Strictly speaking, three lyres and one harp were discovered, but
all are often called lyres. The instrument remains were restored
and distributed between the museums that took part in the digs.
Lyres
:
A lyre is a musical instrument that is stringed and has a role projecting
from the body. There are two types of lyres: box and bowl. Like
their names suggest, the box lyres have a boxlike body and the bowl
lyres have a round body with a curved back. The Lyres of Ur are
box lyres. They were played in an upright position with the strings
plucked with both hands.
Because
of how they were discovered it is believed that the lyres were used
in burial ceremonies in accompaniment to songs. Each lyre has 11
strings to play on that would produce a buzzing noise that repeated
throughout the song. The musician playing the instrument would repeat
the pattern displayed on the lyre.
The
four lyres :
The "Golden Lyre of Ur" or "Bull's Lyre" is
the finest lyre, and was given to the National Museum of Iraq in
Baghdad. Its reconstructed wooden body was damaged due to flooding
during the second Iraqi War; a replica of it is being played as
part of a touring orchestra. The "Golden Lyre" got its
name because the whole head of the bull is made of gold. The eyes
are made of inlaid mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli. The beard is
similar in appearance to the "Great Lyre" and the "Queen's
Lyre". The body of the bull was originally wood but did not
survive. Its discoverer, Woolley, believes that unlike the other
lyres, the body of the "Golden Lyre" would have originally
had legs.
The
"Queen's Lyre" is one of two that Woolley found in the
grave of Queen Pu-abi. The "Queen's Lyre" is 110 centimetres
(44 in) in height and is similar in appearance to that of the "Great
Lyre". The mask of the bull is gold. The eyes, hair, and beard
are all made of lapis lazuli and the horns are modern. The shape
of the lyre is meant to resemble a bull's body. A noticeable difference
between the "Great Lyre" and the "Queens Lyre"
is that the "Great Lyre" has a straight forehead where
the "Queen's Lyre" curves slightly around the brow bone.
It is held in the British Museum.
The
"Bull Headed Lyre" is 40 cm in height, 11 cm in width,
and 19 cm in depth. The shape of the lyre is meant to resemble a
bull's body. Its head, face and horns are all wrapped in gold foil
while its hair, beard, and eyes are made of lapis lazuli. Below
the head is a front panel made of shell inlay set into bitumen This
panel depicts a figure holding onto a bull's horns above, and animals
acting as humans below. The bull head itself likely represents the
sun god Utu/Shamash, who was thought to be able to descend into
the underworld. The lyre is held in the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.
The
"Silver Lyre" is 110 cm (42 in) in height and 97 cm (38
in) in width. It is one of two silver lyres discovered in "The
Great Death Pit". Both lyres were made of wood and then covered
in sheets of silver that were attached with small silver nails.
The eyes are made of lapis lazuli and the lyre was also trimmed
with narrow borders of lapis lazuli. This is the only lyre that
is not bearded. Because of this fresh face some believe it is actually
a cow rather than a bull.
The
Penn Museum also holds a silver boat-shaped Lyre.
Gallery
:
![](640px-The_Queen%27s_lyre_and_the_silver_lyre,_from_the_Royal_Cemetery_at_Ur,_southern_Mesopotamia,_Iraq._The_British_Museum,_London..jpg)
The
Queen's lyre and the silver lyre, from the Royal Cemetery at Ur,
southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. The British Museum, London
![](398px-Bull%27s_head_of_the_Queen%27s_lyre_from_Pu-abi%27s_grave_PG_800,_the_Royal_Cemetery_at_Ur,_Southern_Mesopotamia,_Iraq._The_British_Mu.jpg)
Bull's
head of the Queen's lyre from Pu-abi's grave PG 800, the Royal Cemetery
at Ur, Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. British Museum
![](640px-Cow%27s_head_of_the_Silver_Lyre,_from_the_Great_Death_Pit_at_the_Royal_Cemetery,_Ur,_southern_Mesopotamia,_Iraq._The_British_Museu.jpg)
Cow's
head of the Silver Lyre, from the Great Death Pit at the Royal Cemetery,
Ur, southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. The British Museum, London
![](539px-SumerianBulls.jpg)
Master
of animals motif in a panel of the soundboard of the harp
![](The_gold_lyre_from_the_Great_Death-Pit,_Ur_excavations_(1900).jpg)
The
Queen's Lyre from Wooley's published record
![](528px-The_Queen%27s_gold_lyre_from_the_Royal_Cemetery_at_Ur._C._2500_BCE._Iraq_Museum.jpg)
The
Queen's gold lyre from the Royal Cemetery at Ur. Iraq Museum, Baghdad
![](Woolley_holding_the_hardened_plaster_mold_of_a_lyre.jpg)
Leonard
Woolley holding the hardened plaster mold of the Sumerian Queen's
Lyre, 1922
Source
:
https://en.wikipedia.org/
wiki/Lyres_of_Ur