Wood, lapis lazuli, gold, and bitumen (original)
original: circa 2600 BCE; reconstructed in 1971-72
Iraq, West Asia, West Asia
The British Museum
Details
Culture/Civilisation
Ancient Mesopotamia
Theme
The Great River Civilisations outside India: Mesopotamia, Egypt and China
Subtheme
Mesopotamia – The Land of the Two Rivers
Case Title
Music for a queen
Display Location
Coomaraswamy Hall
Findspot
Royal Tombs of Ur, Iraq
Measurements
112.5 x 70 x 22 cm
Accession Number
.121198.c
Description
Ur in southern Iraq was one of the first great trading cities of the world. There, in the 1920s-30s – at the same time as the Harappan cities werebeing uncovered – the British archaeologist Leonard Woolley, who also worked extensively in India, excavated the ‘Royal Tombs of Ur’. These contained everything needed for a royal afterlife, including musical instruments like lyres and this boat-shaped harp, decorated with exotic lapis lazuli. Found in the tomb of Queen Puabi, with tuning pegs like a modern harp, it probably sounded similar to a guitar.
A harp like this can be seen on the ‘Standard of Ur’ displayed nearby – evidence for a rich Mesopotamian musical tradition for rituals, feasts, processions, and festivals.
