Mária T. Biró: The Bone Objects of the Roman Collection. (Catalogi Musei Nationalis Hungarici. Seria Archeologica 2; Budapest, 1994)

IX. ENTERTAINMENT, PLAY - 1. Musical instruments (lyre, flutes)

IX. ENTERTAINMENT, PLAY 1. Musical instruments (lyre, flutes). 2. Games: dice, board games. 3. Sports (strigilis), 1. Musical instruments (lyre, flutes) Fig. S3. Representation of musical instruments on tombstone Music and different games of hazard, even sports served — as opposed to their modern equivalents — not only for recreation or an occupation giving rest in everyday life, but they also played a role in cultic activity. (Fig. 33.) Moreover, all these activities originate from religious practice. They were parts of religious activity and gradually moved towards the profane sphere thus turning magic prediction to gambles and religious trial of strength and inititation to sports. That is why these objects are presented in our final chapter in two self-consistent groups. Where the subject of one group is a field of recreation the essence of which is the human extension of the ancient metaphysic devices serving the people's physic recreation. The religious motifs of mankind's longing and demand for play, unlike any purposeful activity of human kind, can be traced for the last time here, in the Roman Empire (while still existing in Oriental culture). Lyre (LYRA, KITH ARA) (Nos. 599-622.) As tradition has it, lyre was brought to Greece from Egypt. Its mute was first made of tortoise shell in which two sticks, later the horns of wild goat were inserted joined by an oblique yoke. The two strings of the lyre were made of sheep guts. On the vase picture representing Apollon they were discernibly tied to the musical instrument. Lyre and kithara differed primarily in the shape of the sounding board: that of the kithara reminds one more of the pear shape of today's guitar or mandoline. It is supposed that kithara was the instrument of professional musicians. One of the most beautiful Roman relics of the Hungarian National Museum is the lyre coming from E. Mahler's excavation at Dunapentele. E. Mahler being primarily and Egyptologist an A. Hekler of a discipline nearer to Roman archaeology assumed in it the bone mounts of a casket made in Alexandria. The bone keys of the lyre were published by M. Láng at the beginning of our century as convex game pieces of a portable chess. It was M. Alföldi who recognized in the carvings the parts of bone inlay covering a lyre