Ancient Greek lyre

The lyre was used to educate the young and was closely linked to the worship of Apollo. Together with the aulos, it was the national, and often 'rival', instrument of the ancient Greeks.

In its earliest form (the 'chelys') it consisted of a sound box made from a hollow tortoise shell, with ox or goat skin stretched over its open, flat side; two arms, of goat horn or of two slightly curved pieces of wood; and the 'yoke', a round crossbar joining the arms. Its strings, all of the same length and numbering from 3 to 12, were first made of hemp or flax and later of twisted gut or animal sinew (for example, sheep). The strings were fixed to a tailpiece, passed over a bridge (the 'magadion') and stretched to the yoke. At first they were tuned with leather straps, later with loose or fixed wooden pegs and with wooden tuning keys ('kollaboi'). The player held the lyre on the left side of the body, often with a strap, and pressed or plucked the strings with the fingers of the left hand while striking them with a plectrum held in the right. The plectrum had a long, curved handle and a short, pointed tip, usually of mother-of-pearl, horn or bone.