The

Rhythm

Section

 

 

Like modern castanets, these ancient examples were played in pairs held in the hand, usually by dancers. Note that only one matched pair of castanets was found in the Michigan excavations, illustrated in the "Musicians in Action" section of this exhibition, along with painted and molded representations of women playing castanets like these

 

CASTANET HALVES
Wood
Roman Period (1st-4th centuries CE)
Karanis, Egypt
Karanis Excavations, 1927-35
KM 10768, 26356, 26372, 26354, 10767, 10769, 3843, 26351, 7620, 26353, 26362, 26352. 26359, 26357, 26355