Archaeomusicology and Cross-Cultural Comparisons of Reed Instruments in Greco-Roman Antiquity: From the Aulos to the Bagpipes

Abstract

The aulos was a notable reed instrument in ancient Greek and Roman music, one significant but poorly documented variation of which was the bagpipe from the late Hellenistic period; this thesis will focus on the enigmatic bagpipe and its relationship to the aulos. The bagpipe was first developed in ancient Greece around the 1st c. BCE. Although no archaeological examples of this instrument survive, iconographic and literary records affirm its presence. Analysis can also be aided by its close relative, the aulos – the ancient double pipe. This thesis employs archaeomusicology – the study of music through archaeological methods – and aims to identify the form and materials of the ancient bagpipe through analysis of archaeological artifacts, iconography, literature, and living tradition. This cross-cultural comparison has shown that the ancient bagpipe likely used goat skin for the bag and wood, bone, or reed for the pipes. Additionally, evidence suggests that the ancient bagpipe may have used a single-reed instead of a double-reed for its intonation. This study serves the larger scholarship by furthering the knowledge of ancient Greek music culture, particularly in non-elite contexts, and laying the groundwork for potential future research and experimental projects on the musical characteristics of the ancient bagpipe.