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Ancient Egyptian Lutes By Ricardo Eichmann

In March 20–25, 2007, Khairy el Malt (Cairo) and Ricardo Eichmann (Berlin) organized a

workshop on the reconstruction of ancient Egyptian lutes for members of the Graduate Diploma in

Ancient Egyptian Music (Helwan University, Cairo). The aim of the workshop was to rebuild

instruments following ancient principles of construction. Two different types were selected for

reconstruction: A spike bowl lute of the 18th Dynasty from Deir el-Medina (tomb 1389) and a

necked bowl lute (‘Coptic lute’) from Antinoë.1

After a general introduction to the history of ancient Egyptian lutes, three instruments

(Fig. 1) were produced by the participants under the guidance of Ricardo Eichmann and Jon

Letcher.

Fig. 1 Rebuilt lutes: Coptic lute (l.) and two spike lutes (r.) © DAI Special attention was paid to the selection of wood, the use of wood working tools, the binding of

frets and the methods of fixing (gut) strings. In order to facilitate the work and to complete

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specific stages of construction within the time available, modern saws and drills were used besides

hand powered tools (Fig. 2). The rebuilt lutes will be used as models for the reconstruction of

further fully playable instruments equipped with gut strings.

Fig. 2 Virtual reconstruction of a Coptic lute (3-D graphics Sergej Eichmann) © DAI

The workshop’s results from an experimental archaeological perspective will be published at a

later time. A comprehensive study on ancient Egyptian lutes in German, English and Arabic as

well as new construction plans and 3-D graphics (Fig. 3-5) of all lutes is in preparation.

Fig. 3 Coptic lute from Saqqara (Coptic Museum Cairo, Inv. No. 9626), virtual reconstruction (3-D graphics Sergej Eichmann) © DAI

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Fig. 4 Coptic lute from Saqqara (Coptic Museum Cairo, Inv. No. 9626), virtual reconstruction (3-D graphics Sergej Eichmann) © DAI

Fig. 5 Spike lute from Deir el Medina (tomb 1389)/Egypt, virtual reconstruction (3-D graphics Sergej Eichmann) © DAI

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Initiator of the workshop: Prof. Dr. Khairy el-Malt (Musicologist, Helwan University)

Participants of the workshop:

1. Dr. Ahmed Arida (Faculty of Applied Arts – Helwan Univ.) 2. Mohamed Maged Ahmed (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 3. Osama Radwan Ibrahim (Researcher “Anthropology” in Ancient Egyptian Music Project 4. Abdul Basset Mohamad Yaseen (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 5. Gamal Abd El Fatah Metwaly (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 6. Samir Mohamed Hanafi (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 7. Reem Farouk Shakweer (Researcher) 8. Hala Samir El Metwally (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 9. Rehap Wahed Yaseen (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 10. Mona Mohammed Mostafa (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 11. Magd Matbouli Attiah (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 12. Mona Ghareeb Youssef (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 13. Gihan Abdallah Faragallah (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 14. Mervatte Riffat Garanah (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma) 15. Ibrahim Gamal El Faras (Student in Ancient Egyptian Music, Graduate Diploma)

Instructors:

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Eichmann (Near eastern archaeology, Music archaeology; German Archaeological Institute, Berlin)

Jon Letcher (Musical instrument maker; Shropshire/England) Computer graphics: Sergej Eichmann (Berlin) Contact:

Prof. Dr. Ricardo Eichmann Deutsches Archäologisches Institut Orient-Abteilung Podbielskiallee 69-71 14195 Berlin Tel.: 0049-1888-7711-172 e-mail: re@orient.dainst.de

1 R. Eichmann, Neuaufnahme einer Schalen-Spießlaute von Deir el-Medina (Grab 1389)/Ägypten, in: E. Hickmann–R. Eichmann (Eds.), Studien zur Musikarchäologie IV (2004) 551–568. R. Eichmann, Koptische Lauten (1994) 19–24.