The introductory piece is the Hurrian Hymn to Nikkal, written on cuneiform tablets at Ugarit around 1400 BCE. It is the oldest surviving substantially complete work of notated music. Its notation is contested - note lengths are undecipherable, and at least five rival reconstructions have been proposed since the 1970s. The version heard on this podcast is Tom’s own interpretation, played on a nine-stringed lyre - the instrument the original was written for.
All other music on the series is original, composed by Tom to carry the mood of the moment or to signal transitions to the listener.
The Age I preview. Sixty pages on how the biblical world was formed before Christianity.
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