Reconstructing Queen Amanishakheto’s Musical Instruments
On Thursday, Nov. 18, Susanne Gänsicke, the Senior Conservator and Head of Antiquities Conservation at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, will discuss the importance of the discovery of auloi during the Harvard University-Boston Museum of Fine Arts Expedition in 1921. Archaeologists exploring the necropolis of Meroë (northern Sudan) found a large collection of auloi in the pyramid of Nubian Queen Amanishakheto. Double reed pipes, known as auloi, were popular musical instruments in the ancient Mediterranean. Susanne will share what the find reveals about the connections between Nubia and the Mediterranean world as well as the significance of far-reaching musical traditions. She will also highlight recent efforts to conserve and reconstruct these ancient musical instruments.
This virtual event is presented by the Harvard Museum of the Ancient Near East and the Harvard Museums of Science & Culture.