Cypriote bell (Ure inv. no. 47.2.21)

Child graves often included bells, simple instruments used in singsong games and as toys. This bell was found in a tomb in Cyprus. The inclusion of bells and other simple instruments in burials suggests music was important both in life and in death. Perhaps music helped to soothe and entertain these children in the afterlife. The simplicity of these instruments made them easy for children to use and added an educational element to their games through the self-learning of musical rhythm. Our terracotta bells, from Cyprus and Boeotia, function essentially the same way, with suspended clay clappers that produce sound when shaken. Like most ceramics, however, they show differences in shape and decoration. These differences are explained by regional variation. Bells were also used as gifts to the gods. On Sparta’s akropolis, for example, a large number of bronze bells were found with inscriptions dedicated to Athena. See more information at http://uremuseum.org/cgi-bin/ure/uredb.cgi?rec=47.2.21

Please note that the soundclip belongs to a terracotta rattle in the shape of a nut, a hand-size percussion instrument associated with children that might have provided a similar sound.

For more information on the rattle soundclip see https://archaeologydataservice.ac.uk/archives/view/romaninst_ahrc_2020/index.cfm

Sound file created by Ellen Swift, Lloyd Bosworth, Frank Walker

© University of Kent