And speaking of music

[pjthompson]

From Ugarit, circa 1400 BC, a clay tablet with musical notation (and poetry) has been deciphered and recreated. Quite haunting and beautiful. I’ll be whistling this one in the elevator for sure.

“The most ancient example of written song. A hymn to Nikkal, wife of the moon god.”

Here’s an instrumental arrangement for ancient lyre that does rock some.

“This unique video, features my arrangement for solo lyre, of the 3400 year old “Hurrian Hymn no.6″, which was discovered in Ugarit in Syria in the early 1950s, and was preserved for 3400 years on a clay tablet, written in the Cuniform text of the ancient Hurrian language – it is THE oldest written song yet known! Respect, to the amazing ancient culture of Syria.”

Mirrored from Better Than Dead.

Comments

[asakiyume.livejournal.com]

The arrangement for the solo lyre was absolutely beautiful. And when I think that the melody is 3,400 years old, it makes shivers go up my spine.

[pjthompson]

I know! It's awesome in the not-overused-epithet kind of way.

[hkneale.livejournal.com]

Oh, I LOFF the Hurrian Hymn. Wish I could get sheet music for that.

[mnfaure.livejournal.com]

SO beautiful! And yeah, he rocks out at the end of that lyre arrangement, doesn't he? :D

[pjthompson]

It must exist somewhere. If nowhere else, some academic pub. :-)

[pjthompson]

lol--yeah, some Ugaritan soul.

[helios137.livejournal.com]

Wonderful, thank you for taking us back in time!

[pjthompson]

It does feel like being transported back to a different mindset, doesn't it?

[helios137.livejournal.com]

Yes, and the slides help as well, even though the pyramids are somewhat out of place. If you ever get a chance to go to Istanbul, then visit the Istanbul Archaeology Museum. Besides having amazing art from the Roman and Byzantine eras, it also has glazed tile dragons, lions and bulls from the Ishtar Gate of Babylon which I will never forget. http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/archaeological_museum_istanbul

[pjthompson]

The British Museum is also a great venue for ancient things like that. I saw some of the gigantic Assyrian bull statues and they just astounded me. Also, tons of Assyrian temple carvings, not to mention all the Egyptian stuff, the Rosetta Stone, an entire Greek temple, the Elgin marbles. I went back twice in the space of four days and spent hours there. So amazing.

An amusing story when I was looking at he Rosetta Stone. A couple of French ladies were admiring it and one of them said indignantly to the other in French, "This [Rosetta Stone] should be in France! It belongs to us!" I wanted to tap her on the shoulder and say, "No, it belongs in Egypt. It belongs to them." But I didn't want to cause a diplomatic incident. ;-)

[helios137.livejournal.com]

I agree, there's no better museum for Middle Eastern artifacts than the British Museum. But I was so surprised to see dragons on the Ishtar Gate of Babylon. I had no idea that the symbol of the dragon was so old. http://www.pbase.com/dosseman/image/92394698