Ancient Egyptian Music


Location and Chronology

 

  

Written Sources

Pottery Ostracon list of taxpayers, including two flautists: 3C CE, Fayum, Egypt
Painted Wood Coffin Fragment of a Female Musician: 1070 - 950 BCE, Western Thebes, Egypt
 

Images

Musical Objects: Idiophones

Pottery Toy Buzzers: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Pottery Toy Buzzers: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Pottery Toy Buzzers: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Pottery Toy Buzzers: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt

Sistrum Amulet: 525 - 30 BCE, Faience, Egypt

Bronze Bells: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Bells: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Bell: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Miniature Bronze Bell: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Bell: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Bell: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Miniature Bronze Bells: 332 BCE - 100 CE, Fayum, Egypt
Bronze Bell inside Larger Bronze Bell: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Bell inside Larger Bronze Bell: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Bell with Palm Fiber Rope: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt

Wood Castanet Halves: 1C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Castanet Halves: 1C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Pair of Wood Castanets: 2C - 3C CE, Soknopaiou Nesos, Egypt
Pair of Wood Castanets: 2C - 3C CE, Soknopaiou Nesos, Egypt
Wood Cone-Shaped Castanet Half: 4C - 5C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Cone-Shaped Castanet Half: 4C - 5C CE, Karanis, Egypt

Wood Clappers: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Clapper Handles: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Clapper Pieces: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Miniature Clapper: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt

Bronze Cymbals: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt

Woven Palm Fiber and Clay Pellets Rattle: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Woven Palm Fiber and Clay Pellets Rattle: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Woven Palm Fiber and Colored Glass Rattle: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt

Bronze Sistrum: 1C - 2C CE, Italy
 

Musical Objects: Membranophones

 

 
 
 
 
 

Musical Objects: Chordophones

 

 
 
 
 
 

Musical Objects: Aerophones

Terracotta Model Horn: 2C - 4C CE, Fayum, Egypt

Wood Flute: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Flute: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Reed Flute / Aulos: 1C - 3C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Reed Flute / Aulos: 1C - 3C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Reed Flute / Aulos [obverse]: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Wood Reed Flute / Aulos [reverse]: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt

Bone Whistle [obverse]: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bone Whistle [reverse]: 2C - 4C CE, Karanis, Egypt
 

Musical Representations: Idiophones

Terracotta Figurine of Woman Playing Castanets: 2C - 3C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Terracotta Figurines of Dogs with Bells on their Collars: 2C - 3C CE, Karanis, Egypt
Bronze Figurine of Bastet playing the Sistrum: 332 - 30 BCE, Fayum, Egypt

Musical Representations: Membranophones

Terracotta Figurine of Woman Playing Tympanum: 2C - 4C CE, Fayum, Egypt
Female percussion players: Bas relief

Musical Representations: Chordophones

Egyptian harpist: From a wall painting in Theban tomb no. 60 of Antefoker, 12th Dynasty.
Egyptian harpist: Wall painting of priest playing a royal harp with a representation of the crowns of the two Egypts
Harpists: Wall painting of a priest playing a royal harp with a representation of the crown of one Egypt; 3 sketches of other Egyptian harpists; one sketch of an Assyrian harpist
Harpist and singers/chironomists: Wall painting

Back cover of Lise Manniche's Music and Musicians in Ancient Egypt (1991): The "Betti Hassan" lyre-player

Musical Representations: Aerophones

Terracotta Flask of Boy with Trumpet and Shield: 2C - 3C CE, Fayum, Egypt
Limestone Funerary Stele with Flautist: Late 2C - Early 3C CE, Terenouthis, Egypt
Egyptian double flute player: Unequal pipes
 

Musical Representations: Chironomy

Egyptian chironomy: Decoded by Hans Hickman of the Cairo Museum
Egyptian chironomist: Making sign for specific note + beating rhythm with fist (or preparing to give the sign for the next note)
Egyptian chironomist: Making gesture with left hand for tonic scale-degree + right hand gesture for the fifth degree above the tonic
Egyptian chironomist with harpist: Using same gestures as above
Egyptian harpist + Egyptian chironomists: keeping one hand by ear to hear better or to produce a particular vocal sound

Musical Representations: Singing

 

 
 
 
 
 

Musical Representations: Dancing


Female dancers: Wall painting
 

Musical Representations: Mixed

Front cover of Lise Manniche's Music and Musicians in Ancient Egypt (1991): Female musicians
Ensemble: chironomists making same gestures, so instruments play in unison [but longer flute would sound a octave below the shorter flute]; note two chironomists for the harp, suggesting instrumental harmony
Ensemble: chironomists make different gestures, so instruments play in harmony
Ensemble: chironomist make different gestures, so instruments play in harmony
Ensemble: chironomists, musicians, and dancers from a wall painting in the tomb of Niankhkhnum and Khnumhotep at Saqqra, 5th Dynasty
 
 
 
 

Audiofiles

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Studies

Robert Fink: "Evidence of Harmony in Ancient Music" [updated January 2001 CE]
Music in Roman Egypt: An Exhibition at the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology 19 March - 19 December 1999
    "Music in Ancient Egypt" / "Roman Egypt" / "Karanis" [excavated town site from Roman Egypt] / "Archaeological Context" / "Music in the Papyri" from the Kelsey Museum of Archaeology Exhibit
Egyptian Music: Seven Millennia of Performance

 
 

Bibliography