Tortoise-shell Lyre - London, England, UK - Musical Instruments on Waymarking.com

This lyre is located in the British Museum which does not charge an admission fee and does permit non-flash photography.
The placard accompanying this lyre reads:

"Lyre restored from remains said'
to have been found in Athens
Greek, probably 5th or 4th
century BC

The lyre was a stringed instrument
plucked with the fingers or a
plectrum. The tortoise shell served
as a sound box. The strings stretched
over a bridge and were held in
tension by a cross-piece supported
on two projecting arms.
Elgin Collection"

This website (visit link) informs us that such lyres had additional meaning:

"Mercury found the body of a tortoise cast up by the Nile, and discovered that by striking the sinews after the flesh was consumed a musical note was obtained. He made a lyre of similar shape, having three strings, and gave it to Orpheus, the son of Calliope, who by its music enchanted the beasts, birds and rocks. After Orpheus was slain by the Thracian women, Jupiter placed the lyre in heaven at the request of Apollo and the Muses. This constellation was often called Vultur Cadens, or the Falling Grype by the ancients."

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Date Logged Log User Rating   07/24/2016 Benchmark Blasterz visited it 04/14/2012 Master Mariner visited it 10/24/2011 Metro2 visited it

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