By the mid-1800s guitars with lyre arms began to appear. The shape was actually rediscovered in the late 18th and early 19th as Europeans became interested in unearthing ancient cultures. The lyre continued to be popular at least through the flowering of ancient Greek and Roman civilizations and may have survived in one form or another into the early Middle Ages. Since some of the harps (a related instrument) that have survived from that time were outfitted with elaborately decorated bull’s heads, it is entirely possible that the lyre’s shape was also meant to bring steer horns to mind! Lyres were in use in Mesopotamia-a region we know today as Iraq-at least by 2500 BC and probably earlier. Technically speaking, this two-horned body is the shape of a lyre. But in fact, associating the Longhorn guitar with cattle (though perhaps not cowboys) has a basis in ancient history. Calling this guitar a Longhorn is obvious because the cutaway horns are, well, long.
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