Ishtar’s Descent

From the album The Flood, by Stef Conner, Andy Lowings, and Mark Harmer (Lyre of Ur, 2014). Special thanks to the Gold Lyre of Ur Project team, who made this recording possible: Jennifer Sturdy, Maeve Lowings, and Keith Jobling More special thanks to Martin Worthington for his support and wonderful work enabling non-specialists to read (and sing) Babylonian poetry And some more special thanks to Rory O’Bryen for the cover art Featuring some amazing reconstructed Mesopotamian instruments: The ’Pharaonic lyre’ dates from around 1800 BCE. Andy Lowings originally commissioned the instrument as a portable traveling companion, to accompany him on his research trip to Africa and the Middle East, where he studied contemporary lyre-playing traditions that exponents claim are descended from ancient Mesopotamia. The lyre was made by instrument maker Jonathan Letcher. The ’Gold Lyre of Ur’ dates from 2,500 BCE and belongs to the Sumerian civilisation in Mesopotamia, where the first writing systems were developed. It was discovered by Sir Leonard Woolley in 1929 at the site of the Royal Graves at Ur – modern Tell el-Muqayyar in southern Iraq. Andy Lowings conceived the idea of creating a playable replica of the instrument in 2003, shortly after which, by a strange stroke of irony, the Museum of Baghdad was vandalised and the archaeological treasures from Ur once again hit the headlines: the Gold Lyre was broken up, its gold stolen, and its arms found in the car park. With an enormous amount of voluntary support, the Gold Lyre of Ur project Team recreated the Gold Lyre as rigorously as possible, using materials from the region including cedar wood, original adhesives and pink limestone from Iraq. Many highly skilled artists and craftspeople dedicated their time and knowledge, helping to reconstruct the breathtaking artwork covering the lyre, from its large, golden bull’s head, to its tiny, ornate shell, mother-of-pearl and lapis lazuli panels; the iconic instrument has now been played all over the world. Sung in Babylonian: The words are from the SOAS Babylonian and Assyrian Poetry and Literature Archive Recordings. We followed Martin Worthington’s pronunciation guide to make this recording. The translation is reproduced from Professor B. R. Foster’s Before the Muses (Bethesda, 2005), with minor modifications. The transcription is based on the transliteration provided in R. Borger, Babylonisch-assyrische Lesestücke vol. 1 (Rome, 2006), again with minor modifications. (Credits as per the SOAS BAPLAR webstie). Lyrics: Ana kurnugi qaqqari lā târi Ištar mārat sîn uzunša iškun iškun-ma mārat sîn uzunša ana bīti eṭê šubat irkalla ana bīti ša ēribūšu lā aṣû ana harrāni ša alaktaša lā tayyārat ana bīti ša āšibūšu zummû nūra ašar epru bubūssunu akalšunu ṭiṭṭu nūra ul immarū ina eṭûti ašbū labšū-ma kīma iṣṣūri ṣubāt gappi eli dalti u sikkūri šabuh epru Ana kurnugi qaqqari lā târi Ištar mārat sîn uzunša iškun ištar ana bāb kurnugi ina kašādīša ana atu bābi amātum izzakkar aaah atû mê petâ bābka petâ bābka-ma lūruba anāku šumma lā tapattâ bābu lā erruba anāku Ooooh amahhaṣ daltum sikkūru ašabbir amahhaṣ sippū-ma ušbalakkat dalāti ašabbir gišrinam-ma ašahhaṭ karra ušellâ mītūti ikkalū balṭūti eli balṭūti ima’’idū mītūti iiiiiiiiiiiy! Ana kurnugi qaqqari lā târi Ištar mārat sîn uzunša iškun