Bull Lyre c. 2700 B.C.E.
The bull motif was used for bass lyres . This particular bull, with its blue curly beard and gold horns depicts the sun god Shamash, who as the judge presides over the king’s funerary rites.
What was the bull lyre used for?
Bull Lyre c. 2700 B.C.E.
The bull motif was used for bass lyres . This particular bull, with its blue curly beard and gold horns depicts the sun god Shamash, who as the judge presides over the king’s funerary rites.
Who made the Bull headed lyre?
This was due to the emerging civilizations in the fourth millennium BCE. Among these creations, archaeologists discovered musical instruments, which were carefully crafted by Sumerian artists . One of the most acclaimed artifacts from ancient Mesopotamia is the Bull-Headed Lyre.
What did the bearded bull symbolize in ancient Mesopotamian culture?
As the embodiment of fertility and power, the bearded bull served as an ever-present symbol of divine protection and royal might through centuries of ancient Near Eastern art. ... Minutes of the Administrative Board of Control of the City Art Museum, November 8, 1951.
What region is the bull lyre from?
Among the most famous artefacts from Early Dynastic Mesopotamia are the stringed musical instruments decorated with bull’s heads which were excavated at the Royal Cemetery at Ur By Sir Leonard Woolley between 1922 and 1934. The bull-lyres from Ur are the most famous, but they are not the only examples.
Where was the Great lyre with Bulls Head Found?
The Bull Headed Lyre is one of the oldest stringed instruments ever discovered. The lyre was excavated in the Royal Cemetery of Ur during the 1926–27 season of an archeological dig carried out in what is now Iraq jointly by the University of Pennsylvania and the British Museum.
What did the ziggurats really mean to the Sumerians?
Its purpose is to get the temple closer to the heavens, and provide access from the ground to it via steps. The Mesopotamians believed that these pyramid temples connected heaven and earth. In fact, the ziggurat at Babylon was known as Etemenanki, which means “House of the foundation of heaven and earth” in Sumerian.
Where was the lyre found?
The lyre was found in the Great Death Pit, PG1237, at the Royal Cemetry of Ur (in southern Iraq) in 1929 CE by Leonard Wooley. Early Dynastic Period, c. 2500 BCE.
What does the bull headed lyre depict?
There is a great deal of detail in the bull’s eyes, snout, and the curls of its beard, which represents the power of the king as well as the god Shamash . It was originally affixed to the front of a wooden lyre, the decayed remains of which were somewhat apparent in the soil when excavated.
What was the date of the lyre that was found in the tomb of Queen puabi?
Dating from 2600-2300 B.C. , a decorative bull’s head of gold and lapis lazuli adorns a lyre discovered in the tomb of Queen Puabi in Ur.
What gods did Sumerians worship?
The major deities in the Sumerian pantheon included An, the god of the heavens, Enlil, the god of wind and storm , Enki, the god of water and human culture, Ninhursag, the goddess of fertility and the earth, Utu, the god of the sun and justice, and his father Nanna, the god of the moon.
What are the subjects of the two sides of the Standard of Ur?
Historians have labeled the two sides of the Standard ‘War’ and ‘ Peace ,’ and for those who believe the Standard depicts an historical account of an actual event, the ‘War’ side is the chronological beginning.
What material makes up the hair and beard of the bull?
The mask of the bull is gold. The eyes, hair, and beard are all made of lapis lazuli and the horns are modern.
Are lyres Harps?
The lyre (Greek: λύρα, lýra) is a string instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later periods. The lyre is similar in appearance to a small harp but with distinct differences. ... The fingers of the free hand silenced the unwanted strings in the chord.
What is the difference between a lyre and a harp?
The fundamental difference between a lyre and a harp, is that in a harp, the strings enter directly into the hollow body of the instrument , whereas on a lyre, the strings pass over a bridge, which transmits the vibrations of the strings to the body of the instrument – just as on a modern guitar.
What family is the lyre in?
Lyres from various times and places are sometimes regarded by organologists as a branch of the zither family , a general category that includes not only zithers, but many different stringed instruments, such as lutes, guitars, kantele, and psalteries. Others view the lyre and zither as being two separate classes.
