Today, the ancient world is practically “silent” to us, as auditory memory has not been able to travel across so many centuries and convey musical sounds to the present day. In antiquity, however, music permeated all aspects of public and private life. Our knowledge of ancient Greek musical instruments is drawn from surviving - albeit fragmentary - examples, written sources, and rich iconographic evidence.
From 13 May to 31 December 2023, visitors to the Archaeological Museum of Abdera had the opportunity to view the lyre, the barbiton, the three-stringed lute (pandura), the aulos, and other accurate replicas of ancient musical instruments, presented as part of the temporary exhibition “Sounds of the Ancients”.
The exhibition, originally organised by the Ephorate of Antiquities of Thesprotia, was based on a set of seventeen reconstructions and replicas of ancient Greek musical instruments dating from the 8th to the 3rd century BC. These were handcrafted by Giorgos Polyzos between 1984 and 1994 for the orchestra “EVRETIRIO” of the Cultural Students’ Club of the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens.
In addition, the exhibition featured a photographic display of artefacts depicting musical instruments from the Archaeological Museum of Abdera.