Music, Pharaonic Egypt

The ancient Egyptians had no written music –their tunes are lost for ever (Hickmann 1956: 48–96; von Lieven 2002). Nevertheless, we are able to gain a fair idea of the overall nature of the music performed; the sound of the individual instruments; and the circumstances in which music was played, and by whom. Numerous instruments have survived, and paintings and reliefs in tombs and temples (Hickmann 1961; Pérez Arroyo 2003), in houses and on objects, not to mention lyrics and hymns performed with musical accompaniment, help build up a picture of musical life in different strata of society along the River Nile (Manniche 1991; von Lieven 2006). Comments by classical writers and scattered references in Egyptian texts may illuminate certain issues.

Art · Literature · Lyrics · Musical · Painting · Visual arts · Ancient Egypt and Archaeology · Ancient Mediterranean Archaeology and History · Historical, Religious, and Philosophical Studies · History