Plaque with Lute Player

2000 BC - 1600 BC
Clay
Original Site Unknown
5.0 cm x 6.8 cm x 0.5 cm
A9357

Oriental Institute Museum

Artifact Description

Plaque with Lute Player

This clay plaque shows a musician playing a lute. Music served an important function in ancient Mesopotamian society. Musical compositions are recorded in cuneiform texts, and various types of musicians are depicted in reliefs and other sculptural forms.

Collected by

Henri Frankfort, Field Director of the Iraq Expedition
Purchased 1930

Multimedia

Life in Ancient Mesopotamia
What was life like in ancient Mesopotamia? Find out in this video featuring Oriental Institute Assyriologist Dr. Martha Roth.

Suggested Readings

Contenau, George. Everyday Life in Babylonia and Assyria. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc. 1966.

Kramer, Samuel Noah. Cradle of Civilization. Alexandria, VA: Time-Life Books, 1967.

Roaf, Michael. Cultural Atlas of Mesopotamia and the Ancient Near East. New York: Facts on File, 1990.

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