flute(?);
aulos(?)
- Museum number
- 1907,1201.423
- Description
-
Fragmentary ivory or bone musical pipe, probably part of an aulos (double-reed instrument).
- Production date
- 600 BC-550 BC
- Dimensions
-
Length: 13.45 centimetres
- Curator's comments
- The pipe is probably an aulos (double-reed instrument) because of the size of the bore, though the absence of a mouth-piece precludes absolute certainty. The widespread occurence of auloi in cult contexts, and relatively rarety of flutes, also weighs in favour of the present item being an aulos. See Hogarth 1908, 194 and pl. XXXVII; Psaroudakēs 1994, 287; Psaroudakes 2002, p.337-8 and pl. 22. However, Hogarth mentioned two pipes, but published a photograph of only one example which is not the one illustrated in his plate 37. This may be a flute, or may be damaged in a way that makes it look flute-like.
Bibliography:
Hogarth, D. G. (1908), Excavations at Ephesus: the archaic Artemisia. Vol. 1. London: British Museum.
Psaroudakēs, S. (1994), Tragoidia: towards a description of lexis and melopoiia. Unpublished PhD Thesis, University of Reading.
Psaroudakēs, S. (2002), ‘The aulos of Argithea’, in E. Hickmann, A.D. Kilmer, and R. Eichmann (eds), Studien zur Musikarchäologie 3. Orient-Archäologie 10 (Rahden: Marie Leidorf), 335–66.
West, M.L. (1992). Ancient Greek Music. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Location
- Not on display
- Acquisition date
- 1907
- Department
- Greek and Roman
- Registration number
- 1907,1201.423
