Mesopotamia: The Queen's Lyre

The Queen's Lyre

Mesopotamia (Greek, literally meaning "between rivers"), the earliest evidence of civilization we have today, was a monarchal society. In art, this importance of power was expressed through bulls and elaborate beards. Resting between two rivers that flooded often but irregularly, life in Mesopotamia was harsh and unpredictable. This was reflected in the civilization's theology. Their many anthropomorphic gods were likewise harsh and unpredictable, since the gods were the easiest explanation for the difficulties of their life. Humans were subject to the gods and their whims, and the gods were able to see into the souls of all mankind. Wide open eyes, which are the windows to the soul, characterized this innocence and openness to the gods.

The Queen's Lyre was found by C. Leonard Woolley in the 1920s during his excavation of Ur, the Sumerian capital  (www.mesopotamia.co.uk). "This was one of two that he found in the grave of 'Queen' Pu-abi.... One woman lay right against the lyre and, according to Woolley, the bones of her hands were placed where the strings would have been" (www.britishmuseum.org). Time had decayed the original wooden frame, but the lapis lazuli and gold bull-head and front panels were excavated, restored, attached to a replica wooden frame, and now resides in the British Museum. The most obvious characteristic of Mesopotamian art that appears in this artifact is the depiction of a bearded bull. A second characteristic is the wide eyes. In cuneiform texts, the sun god Shamash was described "as the golden bull with lapis lazuli beard" (www.penn.museum). This brings up an interesting question: why would a god be depicted with wide eyes?

My thoughts on seeing this lyre in person (written May 3rd, though we saw it on May 1st):
The Queen’s Lyre from the British was quite remarkable to see. The gold shone so much, and I loved the blue lapis lazuli. As a harpist, I found it cool and very fascinating that the custom of elaborately decorating lyres, harps, and other instruments has continued since then. It’s a testament to the importance of music and beauty, and how valued it is and has always been even since the earliest known civilizations.

The full lyre with the replica frame. 

I'm trying to decide whether or not the rods at the top are tuning pegs.

The head and the front panels.

Detail of the front panel which depicts a funeral ritual, according to www.penn.museum, which would explain why the bull's head is actually that of Shamash, the only god who "can descend into the underworld and emerge again at sunrise."

An interesting plaque on The Royal Tombs. The photograph on the top is of Woolley holding one of the newly excavated lyres.

If you are interested, you can find a reproduction of what a lyre like this might have sounded like here: celticharpblog.com (you can find the video towards the bottom of the article, though the article is fascinating). Fortunately the harp has evolved and now has a clear, resonating sound, but I did find it fascinating that they described the lyre as having the sound of a lowing bull. Again, that important figure of the bull.