The Royal Tombs: The Lyres Of Ur

It was the autumn of 1927, and the hot Iraqi sun beat down on Sir Leonard Woolley as he and his crew continued to excavate the earth. He had been digging at the site of the ancient city of Ur, a relic of the civilization of Mesopotamia, and had found a plethora of artifacts about everyday life. However, what he was about to find was much, much more interesting. Instead of finding simple graves like before, Woolley had stumbled upon four tombs of elites, filled with riches of gold and other amazing monuments to Mesopotamian culture. But in my opinion the most fascinating pieces of art discovered in the Royal Tombs are the Lyres of Ur, which have a rich blend of Sumerian history as well as a beautiful and artistic design. The Lyres of Ur are one of the earliest known musical stringed instruments and give a glimpse into Sumerian
Also, the extraordinary amount of detail present in the bull’s head is astonishing. The wavy hairs of the bull’s beard are carved in lapis lazuli, a blue rock, and the hairs are extremely fine, showing the impressive stone working skills the Sumerians possessed. The lyre’s front panel also was interesting to me, representing the characteristic of art at the time to tell stories through pictures. This feature is very reminiscent of other artworks at the time such as the Standard of Ur, which was also found in the Royal Tombs of Ur by Woolley. Essentially, the Lyres of Ur are such fascinating pieces because through them the audience can see both the superficial beauty they possess, as well as the deeper, more historical themes such as Sumerian funerary rituals and ancient Mesopotamian values such as the strength of the king and the existence of an underworld. The Lyres of Ur are much more than just an art piece, but rather a piece of history