Through the Eras

MusicTwo views of a limestone statuette of a drummer from the Fifth or Sixth Dynasty (2494–2181 B.C.E.). THE ORIENTAL INSTITUTE OF THEUNIVERSITY OF CHICAGO.purpose of duplicating the sexual act that began thefirst birth so that one could be “reconceived” into thenext life. Thus, the tomb scenes of parties involvingmen and women drinking wine while music entertainsthem aided the rebirth of the dead by their eroticallycharged content. While it is reasonable to concludefrom these drawings that music served an importantand pleasurable purpose in ancient Egyptian society,the magical purpose of these drawings presents only indirectevidence for how music truly functioned outsideof a religious context.TYPES OF INSTRUMENTS. The Egyptians used percussion,wind, and stringed instruments as well as thehuman voice to make music. Musicians played clappersas well as sistra and menats—two kinds of sacredrattles—in cult ceremonies. Harps also functioned in areligious context by accompanying songs about life anddeath. Other stringed instruments, such as lutes, joinedwith woodwinds for entertainment at parties, demonstratingthe more secular nature of these instruments.Evidence for these instruments comes from both archaeologicalfinds of actual instruments and the reliefsculptures and paintings found on tomb and templewalls. Some instruments are indigenous, but Egypt alsoparticipated in a wider musical culture, importing manyinstruments from the Near East over time. Egyptianmusic gained from foreign imports in greater measureduring the New Kingdom, when Egyptian political fortunesexpanded the area of rule to include other culturesand their musical traditions. The Egyptians, forexample, imported the Mesopotamian harp, thoughthey never abandoned their native instruments. Duringthe reign of Akhenaten, foreign musicians dressed indistinctive flounced gowns played the giant harp atcourt. Two musicians played this instrument simultaneously,suggesting that they played notes together inharmony.156 Arts and Humanities Through the Eras: Ancient Egypt (2675 B.C.E.–332 B.C.E.)