Lyre Fragment, Bull Head

ca. 2450 BCE

Details

Title: Lyre Fragment, Bull Head
Date Created: ca. 2450 BCE
Location Created: Ur, Iraq
Physical Dimensions: 40 x 25 x 19 cm
External Link: Penn Museum online collection
Medium: Gold, Shell, Lapis Lazuli, Bitumen, Silver
Object Number: B17694B
Descriptive Note: Gold and Lapis head of the Great Lyre. Eyes of head are either Conus or Strombus CBS Register: Bull's gold head, and shell inlay plaques. Harp of the king. Reconstructed. PG 789 (A is the Plaque, B is the Head) Bull's head in sheet gold with lapis beard found in grave 789 of the Royal Cemetery at Ur. 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.
Credit Line: British Museum/University Museum Expedition to Ur, Iraq, 1928

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