Abstract
Abstract
The
sistrum
was a hand‐held musical instrument used in religious and funerary rituals, beginning in the Egyptian Old Kingdom, and appearing in the Near East, Greece, and Rome.
Sistra
had a looped top that held rods bearing disks that rattled or chimed when shaken.
Sistra
were usually connected to the goddesses Isis and Hathor but appeared in other ancient cults as well.