Egyptian Sistrum

Egyptian Sistrum from Roman Times

Sistrum, inspired by a find from the Metropolitan Museum in New York. The Sistrum is fully functional and was made in the original dimensions. The rattling discs are supplemented and not preserved at the original find - if they were there at all. Due to the rattle sticks, the sistrum sounds less like a rattle and more like a bell. The sistrum is solidly made and decorated with a cat, her cubs, a pine cone and an Isis crown. The ends of the rattle sticks are shaped like duck heads. The weight is about 220 grams, the size about 21 x 14 cm.

Informations about the original find:
Sistrum | Roman Period | The Metropolitan Museum of Art (metmuseum.org)

The Sistrum

The sistrum is an ancient Egyptian musical instrument. The frame rattle was mainly used in cultic music, especially in the worship of the goddess Isis. In Roman times, the worship of the ancient Egyptian goddess spread around the Mediterranean also to northern Europe. Roman Isis sanctuaries can also be found in Pompeii, London, Mainz and Cologne, for example. Due to the design and choice of motif with pine cones, this sistrum is dated to the 1st to 2nd century AD. The exact origin of the original has unfortunately not been clarified.