8132019 A Transverse Flute From Petra

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-transverse-flute-from-petra 13

Early Music Vol 983160983148983145 No 1 copy Te Author 2013 Published by Oxford University Press All rights reserveddoi983089983088983089983088983097983091emcas983089983094983091 available online at wwwemoupcom

983089983088983089

Jeremy Montagu

A transverse flute from Petra

I983156 is well known that evidence for transverse flutesin Europe and its periphery is scanty apart from

some very rare and somewhat dubious Romanexamples (see below for discussion on this) prior totheir introduction into Byzantium around the 983097th or983089983088th centuries 983137983140983089 and thence into Europe he ear-liest thereafter that I know of is played by a figure ona bronze aquamanile (water vessel) from Hungary

now in the Budapest National Museum which hasbeen dated to around the 983089983089th or 983089983090th century983090 Evenafter that European representations remain com-paratively few for several centuries

On 983090983090 August 983090983088983089983088 there was a report in heObserver 983091 of the discovery on a wall painting in asuburb of Petra in Jordan of a flute player of theNabataean period probably from the first half ofthe 983089st century 983137983140 (illus983089) Correspondence withProfessor David Park of the Courtauld Instituteof Art in London led to an introduction to Lisa

Shekede who with Stephen Rickerby had cleanedand conserved the wall painting so that at lastit could be clearly seen While it had long beenknown by the local Bedouin tribe was known to theWest also before the end of the 983089983097th century andwas first photographed in the early 983090983088th century itwas so blackened by smoke defaced by deliberatedamage and by graffiti that very little detail couldbe discerned he painting is made in a rock-cutchambered complex in Siq al-Barid Beidha a gorgesome 983089983088 km north of Petra itself which is in the

centre of a wine-growing district Over the years thechambers had been used as habitation sites hencethe smoke-blackening and the paintings (for thereare more panels than the one described here) hadbeen subjected to attempts at theft as well to generalattack possibly for religious ideological reasons asother human representations have been elsewhere

A recess at the back of the principal chamber haspaintings of vines birds a dancing female figurepossibly a maenad and a young male figure playinga flute Since such chambers with two or threerock-cut benches were frequently associated withwine-drinking symposia and since there is otherevidence in the Petra area of a Dionysius cult itseems most probable that this biclinium as such

two-bench chambers are called was dedicated toDionysus

Nabataean Petra is Hellenistic in style as is thesurvival of the Greek Dionysus cult he Nabataeansflourished from the 983094th century 983138983139 in Jordan andwhat is now the southern part of Israel and arenoted both for their skills in water conservation inwhat was already then a mainly desert area and forthe astonishing rock-cut buildings of Petra a citywhich became an important trading hub by the 983089stcentury 983138983139 and remained so until it was overrun

by the Romans in 983137983140983089983088983094 as a major source for thespice trade and as a terminus of the Silk Route fromthe East

I do not know of any archaeological evidence fortransverse flutes other than Roman at or beforethis period any nearer to Europe than India andChina In India the iconographic association withKrshna and his avatars goes back much earlier andin China we have actual f lutes from various tombsbut there is nothing I know of from Mesopotamiaor the Levant here are two bone objects in Cairo

that may or may not have been musical instrumentsand if they were might have been transverse whis-tles for they both have what might have been anembouchure one in the centre and the other nearerto one end and rectangular neither with finger-holes and both from the Coptic (ie late) period983092 If the central-embouchure one had been a musical

8132019 A Transverse Flute From Petra

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-transverse-flute-from-petra 23

983089983088983090 983109983137983154983148983161 983117983157983155983145983139 983110983141983138983154983157983137983154983161 983090983088983089983091

983089 Flute player of the Nabataean period wall painting in Beidha Petra Jordan

8132019 A Transverse Flute From Petra

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-transverse-flute-from-petra 33

983109983137983154983148983161 983117983157983155983145983139 983110983141983138983154983157983137983154983161 983090983088983089983091 983089983088983091

instrument then it could have been a flute sincestopping each end singly or in combination couldhave produced a small range of pitches Other thanthese all known surviving Egyptian flutes wereend-blown as the nay still is today While we dohave some Roman evidence for the transverse fluteall that I have ever seen look to me as though they

were in fact reed instruments known usually bytheir Greek name of plagiaulos hey have a raisedhole in the side resembling a nipple that looksto be a reed socket rather than an embouchureincluding two examples in the British Museum(983089983096983096983092983088983092983088983097983093 amp 983094)983093 that were acquired withoutprovenance from a dealer here is also the well-known stone panel of a Roman lsquoflutersquo player983094 whichmight be a flute but which for lack of any other evi-dence for flutes is more likely also to be a plagiau-los hese like the one undoubted transverse flute

in the Greek and Roman Department of the BritishMuseum983095 which was found in Halicarnassus and issomewhat fragmentary are all short instrumentsmuch the length of a fife (or in modern terms a By

treble flute) he Halicarnassus culture is linked toAlexander and Ptolemy and there is no certaintyfor any date for this instrument it might be thatperiod or it may be of later Roman date It is madeof bronze with a head of thin ivory or bone andmounted on that a raised embouchure-block ofivory Part of the tube is missing but the original

length was probably around 983091983093 cm the bore diam-eter is 983089983092ndash983089983093 mm and there are three or more prob-ably four finger-holes

In contrast with those the instrument shownhere from Siq al-Barid is like those on the muchlater Byzantine manuscripts a full-length lsquocon-certrsquo flute with what the finger positions sug-gest to me six finger-holes and one wonderstherefore whether Petra may have been the routethrough which the transverse flute so widelyused from much earlier times in India and China

came into Byzantium and thence presumably via the Maghrib and Spain as the Caacutentigas deSanta Maria would suggest into our own musicalculture

Jeremy Montagu began his career as a proessional percussion player and began collecting musicalinstruments in the 983089983097983093983088s He then joined Michael Morrowrsquos Musica Reservata reconstructing early percussion rom medieval manuscripts and church carvings He has written numerous books and

articles on instruments was Curator o the Bate Collection o Musical Instruments in Oxord 983089983097983096983089ndash983097983093and is an Emeritus Fellow o Wadham College Oxord and President o Te Galpin Society Jeremyhas been publishing in Early Music since voli no983090 jeremymontaguwadhoxacuk

Much o the material in this articleis derived rom A Akrawi andL Shekede lsquoA unique Nabataean wall painting in Petra conservation insitursquo in Conservation and the EasternMediterranean (contributions to theIstanbul congress 983090983088ndash983090983092 September983090983088983089983088) ed C Rozeik A Roy and

D Saunders Te InternationalInstitute or Conservation o Historicand Artistic Works (London 983090983088983089983088) pp983090983089983092ndash983089983097 and is used by courtesy oLisa Shekede It has ull details o theconservation and lsquobeore and aferrsquo photographs

983089 See J Braun lsquoMusical instrumentsin Byzantine illuminated manuscriptsrsquoEarly Music viii983091 (983089983097983096983088) pp983091983089983090ndash983090983095

983090 Illustrated in G Kinsky Musikgeschichte in Bildern (Leipzig983089983097983089983088 and simultaneously elsewherein other languages) p983092983089 fig983090 Tediminutive human flute player stands on

the back of a centaur playing a drum

983091 D Alberge lsquoDiscovery of ancient cavepaintings in Petra stuns art scholarsrsquo TeObserver (983090983090 August 983090983088983089983088)

983092 H Hickmann Catalogue geacuteneacuteraldes antiquiteacutes eacutegyptiennes du museacutee

du Caire Instruments de musique (Cairo 983089983097983092983097) pp983089983089983092ndash983089983093 pl983148983160983160983160983145983145983145 catnos983094983097983096983089983089 and 983094983097983096983089983090

983093 I owe the reference to these also toLisa Shekede

983094 Illustrated in G FleischhauerEtrurien und Rom Musikgeschichtein Bildern 983145983145983093 (Leipzig 983089983097983094983092) p983092983093Abb983090983088

983095 British Museum 983089983097983095983094 983088983089983088983092983090 Notethat the reference to it in M L West Ancient Greek music (Oxford 983089983097983097983090)p983089983089983091 n983089983092983095 has an incorrect cataloguenumber

8132019 A Transverse Flute From Petra

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-transverse-flute-from-petra 23

983089983088983090 983109983137983154983148983161 983117983157983155983145983139 983110983141983138983154983157983137983154983161 983090983088983089983091

983089 Flute player of the Nabataean period wall painting in Beidha Petra Jordan

8132019 A Transverse Flute From Petra

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-transverse-flute-from-petra 33

983109983137983154983148983161 983117983157983155983145983139 983110983141983138983154983157983137983154983161 983090983088983089983091 983089983088983091

instrument then it could have been a flute sincestopping each end singly or in combination couldhave produced a small range of pitches Other thanthese all known surviving Egyptian flutes wereend-blown as the nay still is today While we dohave some Roman evidence for the transverse fluteall that I have ever seen look to me as though they

were in fact reed instruments known usually bytheir Greek name of plagiaulos hey have a raisedhole in the side resembling a nipple that looksto be a reed socket rather than an embouchureincluding two examples in the British Museum(983089983096983096983092983088983092983088983097983093 amp 983094)983093 that were acquired withoutprovenance from a dealer here is also the well-known stone panel of a Roman lsquoflutersquo player983094 whichmight be a flute but which for lack of any other evi-dence for flutes is more likely also to be a plagiau-los hese like the one undoubted transverse flute

in the Greek and Roman Department of the BritishMuseum983095 which was found in Halicarnassus and issomewhat fragmentary are all short instrumentsmuch the length of a fife (or in modern terms a By

treble flute) he Halicarnassus culture is linked toAlexander and Ptolemy and there is no certaintyfor any date for this instrument it might be thatperiod or it may be of later Roman date It is madeof bronze with a head of thin ivory or bone andmounted on that a raised embouchure-block ofivory Part of the tube is missing but the original

length was probably around 983091983093 cm the bore diam-eter is 983089983092ndash983089983093 mm and there are three or more prob-ably four finger-holes

In contrast with those the instrument shownhere from Siq al-Barid is like those on the muchlater Byzantine manuscripts a full-length lsquocon-certrsquo flute with what the finger positions sug-gest to me six finger-holes and one wonderstherefore whether Petra may have been the routethrough which the transverse flute so widelyused from much earlier times in India and China

came into Byzantium and thence presumably via the Maghrib and Spain as the Caacutentigas deSanta Maria would suggest into our own musicalculture

Jeremy Montagu began his career as a proessional percussion player and began collecting musicalinstruments in the 983089983097983093983088s He then joined Michael Morrowrsquos Musica Reservata reconstructing early percussion rom medieval manuscripts and church carvings He has written numerous books and

articles on instruments was Curator o the Bate Collection o Musical Instruments in Oxord 983089983097983096983089ndash983097983093and is an Emeritus Fellow o Wadham College Oxord and President o Te Galpin Society Jeremyhas been publishing in Early Music since voli no983090 jeremymontaguwadhoxacuk

Much o the material in this articleis derived rom A Akrawi andL Shekede lsquoA unique Nabataean wall painting in Petra conservation insitursquo in Conservation and the EasternMediterranean (contributions to theIstanbul congress 983090983088ndash983090983092 September983090983088983089983088) ed C Rozeik A Roy and

D Saunders Te InternationalInstitute or Conservation o Historicand Artistic Works (London 983090983088983089983088) pp983090983089983092ndash983089983097 and is used by courtesy oLisa Shekede It has ull details o theconservation and lsquobeore and aferrsquo photographs

983089 See J Braun lsquoMusical instrumentsin Byzantine illuminated manuscriptsrsquoEarly Music viii983091 (983089983097983096983088) pp983091983089983090ndash983090983095

983090 Illustrated in G Kinsky Musikgeschichte in Bildern (Leipzig983089983097983089983088 and simultaneously elsewherein other languages) p983092983089 fig983090 Tediminutive human flute player stands on

the back of a centaur playing a drum

983091 D Alberge lsquoDiscovery of ancient cavepaintings in Petra stuns art scholarsrsquo TeObserver (983090983090 August 983090983088983089983088)

983092 H Hickmann Catalogue geacuteneacuteraldes antiquiteacutes eacutegyptiennes du museacutee

du Caire Instruments de musique (Cairo 983089983097983092983097) pp983089983089983092ndash983089983093 pl983148983160983160983160983145983145983145 catnos983094983097983096983089983089 and 983094983097983096983089983090

983093 I owe the reference to these also toLisa Shekede

983094 Illustrated in G FleischhauerEtrurien und Rom Musikgeschichtein Bildern 983145983145983093 (Leipzig 983089983097983094983092) p983092983093Abb983090983088

983095 British Museum 983089983097983095983094 983088983089983088983092983090 Notethat the reference to it in M L West Ancient Greek music (Oxford 983089983097983097983090)p983089983089983091 n983089983092983095 has an incorrect cataloguenumber

8132019 A Transverse Flute From Petra

httpslidepdfcomreaderfulla-transverse-flute-from-petra 33

983109983137983154983148983161 983117983157983155983145983139 983110983141983138983154983157983137983154983161 983090983088983089983091 983089983088983091

instrument then it could have been a flute sincestopping each end singly or in combination couldhave produced a small range of pitches Other thanthese all known surviving Egyptian flutes wereend-blown as the nay still is today While we dohave some Roman evidence for the transverse fluteall that I have ever seen look to me as though they

were in fact reed instruments known usually bytheir Greek name of plagiaulos hey have a raisedhole in the side resembling a nipple that looksto be a reed socket rather than an embouchureincluding two examples in the British Museum(983089983096983096983092983088983092983088983097983093 amp 983094)983093 that were acquired withoutprovenance from a dealer here is also the well-known stone panel of a Roman lsquoflutersquo player983094 whichmight be a flute but which for lack of any other evi-dence for flutes is more likely also to be a plagiau-los hese like the one undoubted transverse flute

in the Greek and Roman Department of the BritishMuseum983095 which was found in Halicarnassus and issomewhat fragmentary are all short instrumentsmuch the length of a fife (or in modern terms a By

treble flute) he Halicarnassus culture is linked toAlexander and Ptolemy and there is no certaintyfor any date for this instrument it might be thatperiod or it may be of later Roman date It is madeof bronze with a head of thin ivory or bone andmounted on that a raised embouchure-block ofivory Part of the tube is missing but the original

length was probably around 983091983093 cm the bore diam-eter is 983089983092ndash983089983093 mm and there are three or more prob-ably four finger-holes

In contrast with those the instrument shownhere from Siq al-Barid is like those on the muchlater Byzantine manuscripts a full-length lsquocon-certrsquo flute with what the finger positions sug-gest to me six finger-holes and one wonderstherefore whether Petra may have been the routethrough which the transverse flute so widelyused from much earlier times in India and China

came into Byzantium and thence presumably via the Maghrib and Spain as the Caacutentigas deSanta Maria would suggest into our own musicalculture

Jeremy Montagu began his career as a proessional percussion player and began collecting musicalinstruments in the 983089983097983093983088s He then joined Michael Morrowrsquos Musica Reservata reconstructing early percussion rom medieval manuscripts and church carvings He has written numerous books and

articles on instruments was Curator o the Bate Collection o Musical Instruments in Oxord 983089983097983096983089ndash983097983093and is an Emeritus Fellow o Wadham College Oxord and President o Te Galpin Society Jeremyhas been publishing in Early Music since voli no983090 jeremymontaguwadhoxacuk

Much o the material in this articleis derived rom A Akrawi andL Shekede lsquoA unique Nabataean wall painting in Petra conservation insitursquo in Conservation and the EasternMediterranean (contributions to theIstanbul congress 983090983088ndash983090983092 September983090983088983089983088) ed C Rozeik A Roy and

D Saunders Te InternationalInstitute or Conservation o Historicand Artistic Works (London 983090983088983089983088) pp983090983089983092ndash983089983097 and is used by courtesy oLisa Shekede It has ull details o theconservation and lsquobeore and aferrsquo photographs

983089 See J Braun lsquoMusical instrumentsin Byzantine illuminated manuscriptsrsquoEarly Music viii983091 (983089983097983096983088) pp983091983089983090ndash983090983095

983090 Illustrated in G Kinsky Musikgeschichte in Bildern (Leipzig983089983097983089983088 and simultaneously elsewherein other languages) p983092983089 fig983090 Tediminutive human flute player stands on

the back of a centaur playing a drum

983091 D Alberge lsquoDiscovery of ancient cavepaintings in Petra stuns art scholarsrsquo TeObserver (983090983090 August 983090983088983089983088)

983092 H Hickmann Catalogue geacuteneacuteraldes antiquiteacutes eacutegyptiennes du museacutee

du Caire Instruments de musique (Cairo 983089983097983092983097) pp983089983089983092ndash983089983093 pl983148983160983160983160983145983145983145 catnos983094983097983096983089983089 and 983094983097983096983089983090

983093 I owe the reference to these also toLisa Shekede

983094 Illustrated in G FleischhauerEtrurien und Rom Musikgeschichtein Bildern 983145983145983093 (Leipzig 983089983097983094983092) p983092983093Abb983090983088

983095 British Museum 983089983097983095983094 983088983089983088983092983090 Notethat the reference to it in M L West Ancient Greek music (Oxford 983089983097983097983090)p983089983089983091 n983089983092983095 has an incorrect cataloguenumber