![]() ![]() To the soundbox (body or resonator) and the string arm (harmonic curve or neck) a third part, designated as a column (although it is sometimes slightly curved rather than straight) was added to the traditionally two-part Eastern harp” (Rensch, p. “While in the ancient East most harps were composed of only two parts, harps of the Western world, even in the Early Christian era, were usually instruments of three parts. Wartburg Harp, Museum of Wartburg Castle. a dominance of angular harps points to influences from Iran or regions farther west." In sites where depictions of arched harps are dominant, it is concluded that these sites received substantial Indian influences. "Most silk road sites depict only angular harps. Images of the instruments these Buddhist travelers played were depicted on the walls of the Mogao Caves, which was an outpost in use along the Silk Road from 111 B.C.E. Buddhist travelers on the Silk Road not only introduced their faith to China but also brought light instruments for their rituals." However, Buddhism sharply declined after the first millenium C.E., and after that the harps disappeared for good. Stringed instruments were not the norm in China until the Silk Road "opened up a window toward the west and its ample supply of string instruments. Can you help contribute?Īsian Harps China (111 B.C.E - 845 C.E.) ĭepiction of the arched harp from the Mogao Grottoes (cave 327) A vase painting of a Greek woman playing the harp circa 450 BC clearly shows a pillar, while a mosaic of an Iranian harp player from circa 250 BC depicts a large and sturdy sound-box resting against the player’s shoulder. Refinements in the angular harp continued and spread throughout the ancient Middle East, leading to the inclusion of rudimentary pillars and more robust sound-boxes. These harps, seen in many relief carvings, were apparently played both horizontally, with the strings perpendicular to the player, or vertically, with the strings perpendicular to the floor. The lyre is supported by a strap across his shoulder.Īssyria, Greece, & Iran (1,000 B.C.-250 B.C.) īy 1,000 BC, harps played by the Assyrians had evolved to a more angular shape consisting of a neck/bridge for the strings at a right angle to a base. These instruments boasted exquisite craftmanship and design, using fine materials such as silver, shell inlay, and lapis lazuli.ĭepicted use of the bull-headed lyre (at right) at a banquet of a king, being accompanied by a singer. Here, examples of four instruments were unearthed: three lyres and one harp. One such burial was a "cemetery was originally dug outside the walls of the city of Ur. Some of the earliest specimens of harps and lyres have been found among the grave goods of ancient burials. ![]() "The arched harp arose in the Iraq-Iran region around 2900 B.C.E and was replaced around 1900 B.C.E by the angular type, which soon became ubiquitous in western Asia, Egypt, and the eastern Mediterranean region." Sumeria (2600-2000 B.C.) How long it might have taken to make that first harp, and what was humanity's creative process? Read More on the First Harp » Ancient Middle Eastern Harps ![]() To understand the significance of the first time the harp appears among artifacts, one must the consider the "firsts" of everything.
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