From the ArcaMax Publishing, Trivia Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/trivia/s-370680-277074
The harp's ancestor was a hunting bow, but the history of this complex instrument is far from clear. Epic tales, poetry, and works of art have shown that harps existed since at least the ancient times of Babylonia and Mesopotamia. They've been represented in paintings in the tomb of Egyptian Pharaoh Ramses III, in ancient Greece sculptures, in votive carvings from Iraq which date from 2900 B.C. Likely during the growth of Islam, the harp traveled from north Africa to Spain during the eighth century. Its use soon spread throughout Europe.
This news arrived on: 06/29/2008