Minneapolis Institute of Art
Pair of clappers
Egypt
- Date
- about 1550–1292 BCE
- Medium
- Hippopotamus ivory
- Culture
- Ancient Egyptian
- Department
- Arts of Global Africa
- Institution
- Minneapolis Institute of Art
These delicately carved forearms, found in a three-thousand-year-old ancient Egyptian tomb, are percussive instruments. Their curved shape and matching growth lines show that they were made from a single hippopotamus tusk, sawed down the middle into two equal pieces. Music was an important part of ceremonies and banquets in ancient Egypt, and the noise of clapping, banging, and rattling was thought to drive away hostile forces. While we will never know exactly how ancient Egyptian music sounded, there are hieroglyphs and wall paintings that show us how these clappers were played: struck together just as one would clap hands. Africa
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