Both types of harp known to ancient Mesopotamia—the arched and the angular—spread over the Asian continent, with the former type preceding the latter. Arched harps follow a sweeping arc, including Persia and Afghanistan, and through India to Burma; angular harps also take an eastward route, reaching Japan in Sassanid times (226–651). Horizontally held harps disappear after about A.D. 600, and, unless otherwise noted, all the following are or were held upright.
These appear on Indian sculptures...