Video: Harp Player

After watching the video, you will be able to:

• Describe how a sculpture was created
• Consider how an object can be used to honor the dead

• Under 30 mins

Watch Harp Player.

Questions

Write or discuss your responses.

• Why do you think ancient people would place sculptures of musicians in graves? What role might music have played in their beliefs about death or the afterlife?
• The narrator mentions that creating this sculpture required “a heck of a lot of time and elbow grease” because it was carved by grinding down marble with pumice stone. What does the amount of effort required tell us about how much these sculptures were valued?
• Only about twelve carved harp figures have survived out of what were probably many more. Why do you think so few have survived, and what challenges does this create for understanding ancient cultures?
• The narrator ends by asking: “What other ways have objects been used to honor the dead?” What objects do people place in graves or use in funerals today, and what do these choices reveal about modern beliefs and values?

Hard, dense, rock rich in corundrum. A powerful abrasive for grinding and smoothing other stones.

To press or cut into a surface (such as stone, metal, clay or wood) with a sharp tool to write text or create fine details.

Lightweight form of volcanic rock filled with bubbles that is useful for grinding and smoothing.