Music in the Ancient Near East
Archaeological, Historical, and Societal Considerations
Edited by Heidi Köpp-Junk Edited by Shane M. Thompson
Paperback (Published)
(May 2026)
ISBN: 9781805832713
6.85 x 9.69 inches
Price: $49.00
On back order
An interdisciplinary exploration of music in the ancient Near East, this volume examines instruments, performance, and cultural exchange across Egypt, Mesopotamia, and the Levant through archaeology, texts, and iconography, highlighting music’s roles in society, ritual, gender, and mobility.
Music in the Ancient Near East brings together a series of innovative studies exploring musical practices across Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Levant, and beyond. Moving beyond general introductions, this volume presents a rich, interdisciplinary “melange” of archaeological finds, textual evidence, iconography, and experimental approaches to reconstruct the sounds, meanings, and social roles of music in antiquity.
Developed through an unusually collaborative and dialogic process, the contributions examine themes including gender, sexuality, disability, ritual, and cultural exchange. From travelling musicians and shared instrument traditions to new discoveries such as an Iron Age bone whistle, the volume highlights the interconnected musical landscape of the ancient Near East and the dynamic role of music in everyday and sacred life.
Introduction – Heidi Köpp-Junk and Shane M. Thompson
Was the oboe an erotic instrument in ancient Egypt? – Nadja Böckler
‘Playing by Ear:’ An Exploration of Music and Sex/Gender in Ancient Israelite Culture – Theodore W. Burgh
Follow the Songbird: Music and Blindness in Ancient Babylonia – Eric J. Harvey
The Sounds of the Past: An Iron Age Bone Whistle from Tell es-Safi/Gath and Contemporaneous Aerophones – Liora Kolska Horwitz, Ron Kehati, Maria Eniukhina, Shira Albaz, Aren M. Maeir
How To Play Ancient Egyptian Musical Instruments, Based On Texts, Two-Dimensional Depictions And Experimental Archaeology – Heidi Köpp-Junk
Music for the Gods in Ancient Egypt – Reflections on the Origins of Music in Egyptian Temples and Sanctuaries from the Earliest Evidence to the End of Dynasty 6 – Heidi Köpp-Junk
Frame Drums in the Ancient Levant: A Woman’s Instrument – Carol Meyers
‘Have You Not Taken the Drum to Shout in Rejoicing?’ Uses and Forms of Drums in Pharaonic Egypt – John Rogers
How Did Vertical Angular Harps Reach Egypt in Antiquity? – Daniel Sánchez Muñoz
The Motif of the String Player among Animals: From Kurgarru to Orpheus – Thomas Staubli
Music, Mourning, and Coping: Anat’s Grief Resolution for Aqhat – Shane M. Thompson
- Edited by Heidi Köpp-Junk
- Edited by Shane M. Thompson
Other Titles in this Series
Mortals, Deities and Divine Symbols: Rethinking Ancient Images from the Levant to Mesopotamia
Studies Offered to Tallay Ornan
Stone Tools in the Ancient Near East and Egypt
Ground stone tools, rock-cut installations and stone vessels from Prehistory to Late Antiquity
New Research on Old Collections in Southwest Asian Archaeology
Proceedings of the Workshop Held at the British Museum, London, 31 July – 2 August, 2023
Composite Artefacts in the Ancient Near East
Exhibiting an imaginative materiality, showing a genealogical nature
Penser l’espace en Mésopotamie : contributions à la compréhension spatiale à travers les aménagements
Scripta memoriae Jean-Claude Margueron dedicata
Par la bêche et le stylet! Cultures et sociétés syro-mésopotamiennes
Mélanges offerts à Olivier Rouault
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Volume 4
Connecting the Dots: Counting, Writing, and the Beginnings of Civilization
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