The oldest evidence for music goes back over 40,000 years and marks a time when humanity was becoming more self-aware. Throughout antiquity music evolved in evermore complex ways. This course traces the development of music and musical instruments through art, archaeology, myths, rituals, and literary sources. We will engage with the cultures of Ancient Europe, the Near and Middle East and Egypt from the Palaeolithic era through to the Late Roman period and include sound recordings and videos of ancient music and musical instruments.
- De Martino, S., 1997, Music, Dance and Processions in Hittite Anatolia, London
- Hagel, S.,2016, Ancient Greek Music: A New Technical History, Cambridge
- Klavan, S., 2021, Music in Ancient Greece: Melody, Rhythm and Life, London
- Landels, J.G., 2000, Music in Ancient Greece and Rome, New York
- Morgan, H., 2023, Music, Politics and Society in Ancient Rome, Cambridge
- Sachs, C., 2006, The History of Musical Instruments, London
- Sachs, C., 2008, The Rise of Music in the Ancient World: East and West, London
- Smith, J.A., 2022, Music in Religious Cults of the Ancient Near East, London
- Origins - the Prehistory of Music
- Music in Ancient Egypt and Mesopotamia
- Music in Ancient Greece and the Near East
- Music in Ancient Rome and Early Byzantium
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
- Understand the origins of the human relationship to music
- Appreciate the diversity of musical instruments used by ancient musicians
- Be acquainted with the beginnings of written music and composition
- Enhance their own research and travel plans with an introductory knowledge of key literary, artistic, archaeological sources, sites, and collections relevant to the study of ancient music
