This scene is taken from a red-figure vase of the 5th century BCE. The lyre is a stringed instrument known for its use in Greek classical antiquity and later periods. According to Greek mythology, the first lyre was made by the god Hermes and given as a gift to the god Apollo, to persuade the Sun God to forgive Hermes for stealing his oxen. It was made of a turtle shell and strung with animal gut.