Method of Construction
Constructed by: Beverly Jones '97
Although the dimensions of the harp are taken directly from
the archaeological record, this reconstruction differs in several
ways from the original. Unlike the one shown here, the original harp
has a calf's head of gold and lapis lazuli attached to the end,
which archaeologists speculate was added as an afterthought,
rather than being an integral part of the harp. In addition, the
colorful border of the sound box, originally inset with stone,
shell and lapis, has here been reworked in paint. Although
archaeologists have stated that the base of the harp was carved
from a single piece of wood, such a method would cause the neck
of the harp to be quite weak because the shape of the harp would
have run across the grain. As a result, this reconstruction
consists of several separate pieces of wood, attached to one
another in order to make the grain of the wood work with, rather
than against, the shape of the harp. In other respects, this harp
reflects the one fashioned nearly five thousand years ago: it is
made of wood, the placement of the essential parts is fairly true
to the original dimensions, and the strings are tuned to the
notes archaeologists believe may have been the Sumerian
equivalent of our modern scale.
Sources, Resources and Links
Galpin, Canon F. W. "The Sumerian Harp of Ur."
Music and Letters, vol. x, no. 2. April 1929.
Woolley, Sir Leonard.
Excavations at Ur: A Record of Twelve Years' Work.
London: E. Benn, 1955.
The University of Pennsylvania Museum
The British Museum