Investigation of Musical Instruments Motifs in Elamite and Mesopotamia Civilization

According to the documents of beginning stage, music was referred to speech or religious rituals. The word music was in a bush of ambiguity at early documents. The later documents demonstrated that music is returned to the pre-historic and Paleolithic period. Moreover, ancient society evidences illustrate that music and art of making musical instruments dated back to pre-historic period. Evidences show that the iconography of musical instrument had been identified on many ancient artifacts such as seals, high reliefs, different containers. Since human can display his/her inner passions by voice and the regular sound of the nature which they received, they started to create music with a variety of cultural songs and began to make a musical instrument. One of the earliest documentation of ancient musicology during urbanization is from the Sumerian period in Mesopotamian civilization. No written musical evidences have remained from Elamite period, but there exist some documents of written musical notation discovered from the ancient Sumerian city of Ur and Nippur in 1800 BC and ancient city of Avkaryt, the coast of Syria in the ancient Babylonian period which reveals the importance of music. Mesopotamia and Elam civilization during different periods have impinged over each other. Therefore, it is evident that their clothing, reliefs, seals, etc., have influenced by each other. The main question of this paper is how to shed light on the effect of music on Elamite and Mesopotamian civilization and the effect of Elamite and Mesopotamian civilization on music, according to archeological evidences. This study aims to analyze the place of music and the remains of its related motifs and iconographies from Elamite and Mesopotamian civilization descriptively and comparatively by library study and field study of the remains in the National Museum of Iran. The musical instruments motifs of Elam and Mesopotamia serves similarities and differences which demonstrated the musical culture of both sides. It can be said that at the old Elamite period Elamite musical culture was formally influenced by religion, but in early Elamite period it was influenced by everyday life usage of music. And before it started during the Elamite clay Chaghamish trace of stamp shows the use of music in everyday life. The influence of religion on the musical culture of ancient societies of Elam and Mesopotamia is similar. The musical culture of the Old and Middle Elamite period is in accordance of Sumer and Babylon musical culture. Elam musical culture has influenced by Sumer and Babylon civilization and religion. However, harp and lyre are the transitional musical instruments of Mesopotamia, Sumer, and Assur, which has been exported to Elam, Elamite music, in the second millennium BC, was more advanced because they used independent instruments such as Strum Handle. The double chord handle strum instrument Assyria has been influenced by Elam music. Elam music is independent by itself and most of the time have affected on Mesopotamia. In addition, festive music began in the country, New Elam also has evidence that the festive music, including a PA Arjan's Cup, The influence of music Elam is interesting, because before it was music in the service of religion and not only musical instruments but also the operation of the Assyrian similar lyrical music can be seen. The terms are due to musical works from Elam, and compare it with its own adjacent land is Mesopotamia. Another notable animal motifs and forms, as well as musicians playing it is significant, Especially in October, one of Elam is there and Mesopotamia where the horses are busy playing the harp. Its show is all musical cultures.