Music Archaeology

“It’s war, not a dance”: polarising embodied identities in the eastern Mediterranean from the end of the Bronze Age to the Early Iron Age

by Manolis Mikrakis

to be published in: M. Mina, Y. Papadatos and S. Triantaphyllou (eds), Embodied Identities in the Prehistoric Eastern Mediterranean: Convergence of Theory and Practice”, a conference hosted by the Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, 11-12 April 2012, Nicosia, Cyprus.

After the collapse at the end of the Bronze Age, most parts of the eastern Mediterranean experienced the rise of new... more After the collapse at the end of the Bronze Age, most parts of the eastern Mediterranean experienced the rise of new forms of statehood, for which new social identities were essential. Different threads of archaeological, visual and textual evidence especially from the Aegean, Cyprus and the Levant point to ritualised behaviours revolving around eating and drinking, body movement and music making, beauty maintenance, sport and sexuality as dynamic newcomers to established definitions of personal achievement and social status through warfare or the supernatural. In the same sources, uneasiness on the part of traditional elite groups over the assignment of social, cultural and ethical value to such delights is a recurring theme. The present paper explores how feasting practices and socio-political structures shaped one another in the rapidly changing world of the Mediterranean Early Iron Age. It is argued that the growing emphasis on luxurious leisure activities, during which exotica were also displayed and used, marks the emergence of new elite groups that based their claims to authority on the conspicuous consumption of wealth accumulated through commercial enterprises. It is argued, moreover, that contradistinctive representations of feasting and warfare or religion in the archaeological, visual and textual record of this world reflects the social tensions and ideological conflicts that punctuated the way to an entirely new social order and political geography in the eastern Mediterranean.

The Apulian ‘Sistrum’: Monotone or Melodic?

by Gina Salapata

Published in E. Hickmann, A.D. Kilmer, and R. Eichmann (eds), Studies in Music Archaeology III: vol I, The Archaeology of Sound: Origin and Organisation. Papers from the 2nd Symposium of the International Study Group on Music Archaeology at Monastery Michaelstein, 17-23 September 2000 (Orient-Archäologie 10). Deutsches archäologisches Institut, Orient-Abteilung, Rahden/Westf., pp. 415-28.

Los Cantos de Guerra Lusitanos (Blog Post).

by Ángel Román Ramírez

Según los escritos de Apiano, Tito Livio o Diodoro Sículo, los iberos se alentaban en la guerra con la participación... more Según los escritos de Apiano, Tito Livio o Diodoro Sículo, los iberos se alentaban en la guerra con la participación de los músicos que seguían a los soldados, aunque también eran los propios guerreros los que en ocasiones entonaban cánticos y ejecutaban danzas antes de los combates.

Tierknochen und Flötenfunde aus dem hochmittelalterlichen Burgstall von Hütt, Markt Eichendorf, Lkr. Dingolfing-Landau

by Valeska Becker

published in: K. Schmotz (Hrsg.), Vorträge des 21. Niederbayerischen Archäologentages (Rahden/Westf. 2003) 201 – 212.

The paper presents the archaeozoological remains from inside and outside a medieval fortified keep dating to the... more The paper presents the archaeozoological remains from inside and outside a medieval fortified keep dating to the 12/13th centuries in Lower Bavaria. The fauna consisted of pig, cattle, sheep, goat, chicken, goose but also wild species such as hare, partridge, barb and grey heron. Among the animal bones, two pieces of flutes made from goose ulnae were found.

”THE SOLE YOU FOUND WAS THE SOUL OF THE FESTIVAL” Paikan muuttuvat merkitykset Provinssirockin festivaalialueella

by Tiina Äikäs

Co-authored with Tiina Kuokkanen, Wesa Perttola,
Riku Mönkkönen, Olli Kunnas, Jari Okkonen, published in Etnomusikologian vuosikirja 2011, vol. 23, ss. 54 – 80.

La música enterrada: Historiografía y Metodología de la Arqueología Musical

by Carlos García Benito

Co-authored with Raquel Jiménez Pasalodos
Published in Cuadernos de Etnomusicología 1 (2011)

La arqueología musical estudia los sonidos y las culturas musicales del pasado basándose fundamentalmente en fuentes... more La arqueología musical estudia los sonidos y las culturas musicales del pasado basándose fundamentalmente en fuentes organológicas e iconográficas. Además, también toma elementos derivados de la Etnomusicología y de otras disciplinas auxiliares: Acústica, Arqueología Experimental, Etnoarqueología, Iconografía y Organología. Esta gran cantidad de aproximaciones al estudio de la música del pasado remoto hace necesaria una reflexión teórica e historiográfica que trate de encontrar los límites y las perspectivas de futuro de la investigación en la arqueología musical. Por tanto, en este artículo se pondrá especial atención a la historiografía y la metodología de la arqueología musical para de este modo poder entender qué aporta la disciplina al conocimiento de la música.

Music Archaeology studies the sounds and the musical cultures of the past through the examination of archaeological evidences. Furthermore, it is also narrowly connected to Ethnomusicology and other auxiliary disciplines such as Acoustics, Experimental Archaeology, Ethnoarchaeology, Iconography and Organology. But the diversity of approaches to the music of the distant past requires a theoretical and historiographical examination in order to be able to find the limits and perspectives of the music archaeological research. This article will focus on the Historiography and Methodology of Music Archaeology as a way to understand to what extent this discipline can contribute to the knowledge of music as culture.

Un posible silbato de cerámica procedente de Monte Perdiguero, Calahorra (La Rioja)

by Carlos García Benito

Published in Kalakoricos 16 (2011)

Un posible silbato de cerámica fue encontrado de forma casual en el Monte Perdiguero dentro del término de Calahorra.... more Un posible silbato de cerámica fue encontrado de forma casual en el Monte Perdiguero dentro del término de Calahorra. Este tiene la forma de una cabeza de un niño o un diablillo. En este artículo se muestra su estudio, con una breve descripción del mismo y diversas cuestiones que surgen acerca de su uso y función, así como de su cronología.

A potential whistle of pottery was found by chance in Perdiguero Mount in the municipality of Calahorra. It has the shape of a head of a child or an imp. This article shows its study, with a brief description, and various questions arise about their use and function, and their chronology.

The ‘Originality of Ancient Cypriot Art’ and the Individuality of Performing Practices in Early Iron Age Cyprus

by Manolis Mikrakis

to be published in: M. Iacovou (ed.), Cyprus and the Aegean in the Early Iron Age: The legacy of Nicolas Coldstream. An Archaeo-logical Workshop in memory of Professor N.J. Coldstream (1927-2008), Nicosia, Archaeological Research Unit, University of Cyprus, 13 December 2010

Current archaeological interpretations of ancient Cyprus emphasise the role of the island as the “melting pot” or the... more Current archaeological interpretations of ancient Cyprus emphasise the role of the island as the “melting pot” or the “crossroads” of foreign cultural traditions. Along these lines, the contribution of Nicolas Coldstream towards a better understanding of Cypriot interactions, especially with the Aegean, has been admirable, not the least because of its unwavering attention to the material evidence. Equally impressive is the way Professor Coldstream defined the “originality of ancient Cypriot art” in a well-known lecture with this title, which was delivered in the Spring 1986 and was published by the Cultural Foundation of the Bank of Cyprus as the Second Annual Lecture on the History and Archaeology of Cyprus.
The present paper seeks to take that line of argument further in an attempt to trace elements of cultural and socio-political originality that underlie the artistic originality. Late Cypriot and Cypro-Geometric representations of lyre-playing stand out among the indicators of creativity assembled by Coldstream, and so the focus will be on the performance of music, in which the gifted scholar also took much delight as an excellent pianist. Cypriot innovations in performing practices include certain types of stringed instruments as well as the integration of music-making into the lifestyle of the elite. A closer look of these achievements reveals the Early Iron Age musical culture of Cyprus to have been at the frontiers of developments within the Eastern Mediterranean and, also, to have been extremely influential outside the island, especially in Attica. It was, therefore, crucial to the formation of the historic Greek culture of mousikē during the early centuries of the first millennium BC.

Μουσική στην Κρήτη και την Αίγυπτο: Ένα ιδιαίτερο πεδίο ανάπτυξης πολιτισμικών δεσμών

by Manolis Mikrakis

in: A. Karetsou (ed.), Κρήτη - Αίγυπτος. Πολιτισμικοί δεσμοί τριών χιλιετιών, Μελέτες, Athens 2000, pp. 162–169

Music in Crete and in Egypt. A special field of cultural links (in Greek) Music in Crete and in Egypt. A special field of cultural links (in Greek)

Pututu and waylla kepa: New data on Andean pottery shell horns

by Alexander Herrera

In: Studien zur Musikarchaeologie.VII / Orient Archaologie XXV: Pp. 17-37. Eichmann, R., Hickman, E. & Koch, C. (Eds.). Orient Abteilung des Deutschen Archaeologischen Instituts: Verlag Marie Leidorf GmbH – Rahden/ Westf