Sounds Like Music To My Lyre… Or Is That Coming From My Tablet?

Whether it is a code of conduct outlined with cuneiform etched into “steles” which are upright stone slabs or epic themes and fables carved into elaborate lyres; aspects of the Sumer and Babylon civilizations can be revealed through the art created during that time.

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The Bull-Headed Lyre is a musical instrument similar to the harp that was found in the ruins of a royal tomb in the old city of Ur; present day Muqaiyir, Iraq (Stokstad, 37). The lyre would have been played as an accompaniment to stories being told out loud. In Sumerian art, precious materials like lapis lazuli, gold and shell were used for stylistic purposes and to show prestige and an individual’s status in society. Inlaid on the lyre include inlaid shell images depicting the Epic of Gilgamesh. A short YouTube video describing the story is provided below.

The Epic of Gilgamesh is presented on different registers, each sharing the same horizons. Composite animals containing body parts from lions, scorpions, goats and humans are shown doing different things on each register such as bringing food and drink for a banquet on the first couple registers and then Gilgamesh standing at the top manhandling two human-headed bulls. Bulls again play a symbolic role in showing an individual’s power, revealing Gilgamesh’s influence in the region.

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The stele with the Code of Hammurabi carries the same impact as the inlaid stone depicting the Epic of Gilgamesh on the Bull-Headed Lyre in relaying important information regarding the culture at that time. Inscripted on the stone slab was the legal code outlining the laws of the land in Babylon, ensuring equal treatment and punishment of people throughout the kingdom (Stokstad, 41). While the Bull-Headed Lyre used precious materials such as lapis lazuli and gold to symbolize its significance, the Code of Hammurabi’s cuneiform was etched into diorite, which is considered one of the hardest rocks in the world. Symbolically speaking, carving the legal code into one of the hardest rocks in the world means that the law will last until eternity and is unchangeable.

Above the code stands two individuals; a human ruler standing in front of an enthroned god, Shamash, the patron of law and justice (Stokstad, 41). Like with the images on the lyre, the human ruler and god are shown in the composite view such that the best representation of what is happening is presented. The human ruler is shown with great musculature and wearing a monk hat, revealing that he is a strong and wise ruler. Shamash, the god, is seated in a throne wearing a bull horn hat. Again, like with the Bull-Headed Lyre, the bull is used in conjunction with deities or individuals carrying influence throughout the land. Not only is the god shown sitting in a throne and wearing a bull horn hat, but there is also light emanating from him, further definitive evidence of Shamash’s power in this culture. Furthermore, both the Bull-Headed Lyre from Sumer and Hammurabi’s Code from Babylon show the hierarchy between man and the gods through the symbol of the bull and the precious materials used in the creation of these objects.

Stokstad, Marilyn. Art: A Brief History. Fourth Edition. (Prentice-Hall, 2009). pp 26

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