Lute

The lute is described by Curt Sachs as being "made of a body, and of a neck which functions both as a handle and as a way of stretching the strings beyond the body" in the terminology part of The History of Musical Instruments. Going back in time, it is the predecessor to the guitar, first appearing in Ancient Mesopotamia more than 5000 years ago. The lute in the picture was acquired in 1951 in West Africa. Even though the one in the picture might have been created recently. This far older ancient Egyptian painting below shows how similar they are.

This painting, which shows lute players and was discovered in the Lost Tomb of Nebamun, is thought to have been created around 1350 BC. Despite the fact that lute instruments have been around for 1700 years before this artwork.

The resonance chamber of the lute is composed of carved wood, and the gut from an animal's stomach is used to make the strings. In fact, gut strings were common on the majority of early stringed instruments, including guitars. Gut strings are still available, although they are exceedingly expensive.