Building My Replica Of The Gold Lyre Of Ur

Many people have asked me about my reconstruction of the Gold Lyre Of Ur, so I made this video explaining a little of the history of the original excavation in 1929, how I made my replica, and why it sounds the way it does. I would like to point out that my intention was to focus on the sound of the instrument and not so much on the authentic reproduction of the spectacular ornamentation which would have required the use of semiprecious stones, solid gold, etc.

At the end of the video I added the first verse of a performance of a Sumerian “balbale” (a song) so you can hear the instrument in action. The full song, which I will post when I have finished recording it, is a dialogue between the Sumerian shepherd god, Dumuzid (the god Tammuz of the Babylonians), and the goddess Inana (aka Ishtar) with whom he was hopelessly in love.