The Lyres of Ur, also called the Harps of Ur, are four string instruments discovered in broken pieces at the Royal Cemetery in Ur, Iraq, starting in 1922. These instruments are from the Early Dynastic III Period of Mesopotamia, between about 2550 and 2450 BC. This makes them the oldest surviving stringed instruments in the world. After being carefully repaired and reconstructed, they are now displayed in museums in Iraq, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

Strictly speaking, three lyres and one harp were found, but they are often referred to as lyres. The remains of the instruments were restored and shared among the museums involved in the excavation. The "Golden Lyre of Ur," also known as the "Bull's Lyre," is in the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. The British Museum in London holds the "Queen's Lyre" and "Silver Lyre," while the Penn Museum in Philadelphia has the "Bull-Headed Lyre."

In 1929, archaeologists led by Leonard Woolley, a British archaeologist, uncovered the instruments during an excavation of the Royal Cemetery in Ur. Woolley worked for a joint expedition between the British Museum and the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. The instruments were found in Ur, which was part of Ancient Mesopotamia and is now in modern-day Iraq. They are over 4,500 years old and date to the Early Dynastic III Period (2550–2450 BC). The decorations on the lyres are examples of the royal court art from that time.

Leonard Woolley discovered the lyres among the remains of ten women in the Royal Cemetery. One skeleton was found resting against a lyre, with a hand placed near where the strings would have been. Woolley used liquid plaster quickly to preserve the delicate wooden frames of the lyres. Although the wood had decayed, some parts were covered in materials that do not decay, such as gold and silver, allowing the instruments to be recovered.

Lyres

A lyre is a musical instrument with strings and a part that sticks out from the body. There are two types of lyres: box and bowl. As their names suggest, box lyres have a boxlike body, and bowl lyres have a round body with a curved back. The Lyres of Ur are box lyres. They were played in an upright position, with the strings plucked using both hands.

Because of where they were found, it is believed that the lyres were used in burial ceremonies to accompany songs. Each lyre has 11 strings that produce a buzzing sound that repeats throughout the song. The musician playing the instrument would repeat the pattern shown on the lyre.

The four lyres

The "Golden Lyre of Ur," also called the "Bull's Lyre," is the most well-known lyre. It was donated to the Iraq Museum in Baghdad. Its wooden body was damaged during the Second Iraqi War due to flooding. A replica of the lyre is now played by a touring musical group. The lyre earned its name because the entire head of the bull is made of gold. The eyes are made of inlaid nacre and lapis lazuli. The beard looks similar to those on the "Great Lyre" and the "Queen's Lyre." The original body of the bull was made of wood, but it no longer exists. The person who discovered the lyre, Woolley, thought the "Golden Lyre" might have had legs, unlike other lyres.

The "Queen's Lyre" is one of two lyres removed from the grave of Queen Pu-abi. It is 110 centimeters (44 inches) tall and looks similar to the "Great Lyre." The bull’s mask is made of gold. The eyes, hair, and beard are made of lapis lazuli, and the horns are modern. The shape of the lyre is designed to look like a bull’s body. A difference between the "Great Lyre" and the "Queen's Lyre" is that the "Great Lyre" has a straight forehead, while the "Queen's Lyre" curves slightly around the brow bone. The "Queen's Lyre" is now in the British Museum.

The "Bull Headed Lyre" is 40 centimeters tall, 11 centimeters wide, and 19 centimeters deep. Its shape is meant to resemble a bull’s body. The head, face, and horns are covered in gold foil, while the hair, beard, and eyes are made of lapis lazuli. Below the head is a front panel made of shell inlay set into bitumen. This panel shows a figure holding a bull’s horns above and animals acting like humans below. The bull’s head likely represents the sun god Utu, who was believed to travel to the underworld. The lyre is now in the Penn Museum in Philadelphia.

The "Silver Lyre" is 110 centimeters (42 inches) tall and 97 centimeters (38 inches) wide. It is one of two silver lyres taken from the "Great Death Pit." Both lyres were made of wood and covered in silver sheets attached with small silver nails. The eyes are made of lapis lazuli, and the lyre has narrow borders of lapis lazuli around it. This is the only lyre without a beard. Some people think it might be a cow instead of a bull because of its smooth face. The "Silver Lyre" is now in the British Museum.

The Penn Museum in Philadelphia also holds a silver boat-shaped lyre.

Gallery

• The head of the "Bull Headed Lyre"
• A plaque from the "Bull Headed Lyre"
• The bull's head of the Queen's lyre from Pu-abi's grave (PG 800), located in the Royal Cemetery at Ur, Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. British Museum
• The cow's head of the Silver Lyre, from the Great Death Pit at the Royal Cemetery, Ur, Southern Mesopotamia, Iraq. The British Museum, London
• A master of animals motif on a panel of the soundboard from the "Bull Headed Lyre"
• The Golden Lyre from Woolley's published records
• Leonard Woolley holding the hardened plaster mold of the Sumerian Queen's Lyre, 1922