Plaque with Lute Player
Clay
Original Site Unknown
5.0 cm x 6.8 cm x 0.5 cm
A9357
Oriental Institute Museum
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.