arched harps

In the ancient Near East, the arched harp made its appearance about 3000 B.C. in Sumer. Two such harps, held in a horizontal position, appear on a vase fragment from Bismaya (the ancient Adab) near Nippur from the early third millennium (formerly dated from the fourth millennium); one harp has seven strings, the other five; their players form part of a procession. Held vertically, a harp forming an obtuse arc is played in a banquet scene depicted on a plaque...