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# Ancient world music This section describes various musical instruments and musical traditions from ancient civilizations. ## The Antique Lyre * This antique lyre is a reconstruction of one used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. * The design of the lyre was symbolic, representing harmony. * The...

# Ancient world music This section describes various musical instruments and musical traditions from ancient civilizations. ## The Antique Lyre * This antique lyre is a reconstruction of one used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. * The design of the lyre was symbolic, representing harmony. * The strings were held up by a top bar, supported by two bull horns. ## Early Music in Ancient Civilizations * Historians learn about music from various sources such as paintings, pottery designs, and discovered instruments. * Music played a significant role in entertainment, religious rituals, and social celebrations of different ancient cultures. * The Sumerians used cuneiform (a writing system) to compose music, dating as far back as 2600 BCE. * The Egyptians used various stringed instruments like lutes and harps, alongside a flute-like instrument. * The Greeks had the theory and practice of music where they separated music into tones, melody (horizontal line), and harmony (vertical line). * The Greeks also developed a system to write down music. * The Romans used brass instruments and the cornu ("horn"). * The Romans also developed the hydraulis, an early organ. * The ancient Hindus used instruments like the veena from gourds. ## Other Instruments & Traditions * **Chinese music** was played with bronze bells, stone slabs, and pottery flutes. Confucius viewed music as a way to achieve harmony. * **Greek music** was important in many aspects of their lives. One tradition was the recital of poetry with lyre accompaniment which was called a lyric. * **Hebrew music** was important in worship. Hebraic musicians were saved when the city of Nineveh was captured. * **Ancient Egyptian music** used various stringed instruments such as lutes and harps, as well as a flute-like instrument. * **Bagpipes** were a popular wind instrument in the ancient world, usually made of goat- or sheepskins for the bag, and a couple of reed pipes. Additional details are available about each instrument, musical pieces and cultures.