Archaeologists Find Ancient Greek Instruments in Russia

A group of archaeologists in Russia uncovered Monday fragments of two ancient Greek musical instruments, a harp and a lyre, in Russia’s Taman Peninsula. Researchers believe they are the most ancient Greek musical instruments unearthed so far.

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Archaeologists of the Russian Academy of Sciences made the discovery while examining an ancient necropolis located near the Volna settlement, southwestern Russia. According to the team a Greek city existed there from the second quarter of the sixth century BC to the fourth century AD.

Expedition leader Roman Mimokhod said in a statement Monday "until recently, we had known of only one partially preserved ancient Greek harp found in the Piraeus necropolis in Athens and the tuning pegs of a harp uncovered from a necropolis in Taranto, southern Italy… The harp found in the Piraeus necropolis dates back to the late fifth century BC and the tuning pegs from Taranto were discovered in a tomb dating back to the third or second centuries BC. Compared to these previous discoveries, the harp unearthed in Taman is one of the most ancient and well-preserved."

This group has been working there for three years and has discovered several artifacts that prove links between ancient Greek culture and local cultures.