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History of Sistrum
The sistrum was used in the cult of the goddess Hathor and later, as Hathor merged with the maternal and life-giving goddess Isis, use of the sistrum spread with the cult of Isis throughout the Roman Empire. Open-topped, U-shaped sistrums existed by 2500 bc in Sumer and have been excavated near Tbilisi, Georgia.
Where did the sistrum originate from?
The sistrum instrument originated in ancient Egypt. It was associated with the Egyptian goddesses Isis and Hathor, first appearing in the Old Kingdom, around 2700 to 2200 BC. The sistrum started out as a musical instrument, but its symbolical value surpassed its musical use since.
What is a sistrum from ancient Egypt?
A sistrum is an ancient Egyptian percussion instrument that was shaken during religious ceremonies and when coming into the presence of a deity.
What is a sistrum Isis?
The sistrum was a sacred instrument in ancient Egypt. Perhaps originating in the worship of Bat, it was used in dances and religious ceremonies, particularly in the worship of the goddess Hathor, with the U-shape of the sistrum’s handle and frame seen as resembling the face and horns of the cow goddess.
What type of music is the sistrum used in?
The Sistrum is a U-shaped rattle, known to have been used in ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman traditions. This type of sistrum is used today in Ethiopian religious music, and very occasionally in orchestral music to give a eastern flavor.
Who invented the sistrum?
Open-topped, U-shaped sistrums existed by 2500 bc in Sumer and have been excavated near Tbilisi, Georgia. Similar sistrums are played today in the liturgy of the Coptic and Ethiopian churches.
What did a sistrum sound like?
The sound of the sistrum is metallic, produced by a number of metal disks or squares, strung onto a set of transverse bars, set horizontally into a frame of varying design. Its sound was thought to echo that of a stem of papyrus being shaken.
What does a sistrum look like?
In Greek culture the sistrum was shaped like an elongated hoop and used in processions, sacrifices, festivals and funerary contexts. The earliest examples date from Minoan Crete (c.
What is the goddess Isis?
Although initially an obscure goddess, Isis came to fulfill a variety of roles, primarily as wife and mother, mourner, and magical healer. She was a role model for women, was a principal deity in rites for the dead, and cured the sick. She also had strong links with the kingship and the pharaohs.
What is Hathor goddess of?
Hathor, in ancient Egyptian religion, goddess of the sky, of women, and of fertility and love.
Which Egyptian god was the most significant Why?
Osiris, one of Egypt’s most important deities, was god of the underworld. He also symbolized death, resurrection, and the cycle of Nile floods that Egypt relied on for agricultural fertility.
How do you make a sistrum?
Where did Hathor live?
Hathor was given the epithets “mistress of the sky” and “mistress of the stars”, and was said to dwell in the sky with Ra and other sun deities.
What is a Bastet Cat?
Bastet is probably the best-known feline goddess from Egypt. Initially depicted as a lioness, Bastet assumed the image of a cat or a feline-headed woman in the 2nd millennium BCE. Although she combined both nurturing and violent qualities, her shielding and motherly aspects typically were emphasized.
Where is the mbira instrument from?
The thumb piano, or mbira a name derived from Shona language of Zimbabwe – is uniquely African percussion instrument. In the distant past it was made entirely of wood or bamboo and could have been used for a few thousand years.
What is the importance of Nubia to Egypt?
Known for rich deposits of gold, Nubia was also the gateway through which luxury products like incense, ivory, and ebony traveled from their source in sub-Saharan Africa to the civilizations of Egypt and the Mediterranean. Archers of exceptional skill provided the military strength for Nubian rulers.
What musical instrument originated in Egypt?
There were percussion instruments (drums, the sistrum, rattles, tambourines and, later, bells and cymbals); stringed instruments (lyres, harps, and the lute which came from Mesopotamia); and wind instruments like the shepherd’s pipe, double-pipe, clarinet, flute, oboe, and trumpet).
Which type of musicologist studies preserved musical instruments to learn about the music of an ancient culture?
Anthropological and Musicological Approaches
Two approaches to ethnomusicological studies are common: the anthropological and the musicological. Ethnomusicologists using the anthropological approach generally study music to learn about people and culture.
How do you pronounce Sistrums?
Which musical instrument found in China is the oldest playable musical instrument?
The Jiahu g?d (Chinese: ????) is the oldest known musical instrument from China, dating back to around 6000 BCE. Gudi literally means “bone flute”.
Who was Isis husband?
Isis was loved by ancient Egyptians for her fierce devotion to her husband Osiris and her son Horus. Her cult first began to spread around the Mediterranean following the establishment of Hellenist rule in Egypt in the fourth century B.C. Then as Roman power expanded, worship of Isis went even farther afield.
What are Isis powers?
Isis had great powers such as: healing, protection, and magic. She could even cast spells on Ra. An example of her powers is when Isis brought Osiris back to life for one night. The powers were only strong enough to bring Osiris back for a single night. Isis is shown with a sun disk on her head.
Who were Isis siblings?
| Isis | |
|---|---|
| Parents | Geb and Nut |
| Siblings | Osiris, Set, Nephthys, Horus the Elder |
| Consort | Osiris, Min, Serapis, Horus the Elder |
| Offspring | Horus, Min, Four Sons of Horus, Bastet |
What are hathors powers?
Amokinesis: As the goddess of love, Hathor possesses the ability to manipulate any man or woman, whether they be mortal, god or beast to do her bidding. When she uses such an ability, her eyes will glow a brief gold and she will say “I command you”.
What are the 7 hathors?
The Seven Hathors were worshiped in seven cities: Waset (Thebes), Iunu (On, Heliopolis), Aphroditopolis, Sinai, Momemphis, Herakleopolis, and Keset. They may have been linked to the constellations Pleiades. Hathor was also a goddess of destruction in her role as the Eye of Ra defender of the sun god.
How was Hathor born?
In some versions of the myth, Hathor is created as the daughter of Ra, the sun god. In addition to being a goddess of the sky, Hathor was often linked with the dead. In this role, she provided food to the dead when they arrived in the underworld , or land of the dead.
Which god did ancient Egypt fear most?
Most people in ancient Egypt were afraid of one particular god – the god Ammut (also spelled Ammit.) Ammut was the god with the crocodile head.
Who is the most evil Egyptian god?
Apopis, also called Apep, Apepi, or Rerek, ancient Egyptian demon of chaos, who had the form of a serpent and, as the foe of the sun god, Re, represented all that was outside the ordered cosmos. Although many serpents symbolized divinity and royalty, Apopis threatened the underworld and symbolized evil.
Who was the strongest god in Egypt?
Amun (Amun-Ra) – God of the sun and air. One of the most powerful and popular gods of ancient Egypt, patron of the city of Thebes, where he was worshipped as part of the Theban Triad of Amun, Mut, and Khonsu.
