If you're interested though I can't see why you heathens (Phil!!!) would be but:

Akonting

There's a lot of possible contenders, Paul - rather like the European ancestors of the Appalachian Dulcimer (citera, epinette, hummel, langeliek, langspil etc.) - but that's definitely the sort of thing! A search for Banjo Ancestry in Google comes up with THIS, and others. Whatever the case, one might well ponder the true roots of the ongoing Banjo Disparagement, no matter how tongue in cheek...

which may or may not have roos in ancient Mesopotamia

In the context of a WAV thread, this slip of the finger is close to genius! ;-)>